In case you still haven’t finished your holiday shopping and need some ideas for gift ideas, here’s a gift guide for the ladies in your life. I’ve picked out some items I think would be great for your mom, aunt, or BFF. This year there has brought us some of the best sets I’ve seen to date. They are so good, many of them are already sold out. As of today, I’ll be sharing some things you can still get today, but if you see something you like, I’d recommend you get it fast. There are a number of things I had in my shopping cart over the last week that disappeared before I could check out due to them selling out.
A soft simple scarf (1) is my Number 1 no-fail holiday gift idea and you can find scarves almost anywhere in stores and online at all price points. My favorites colors to give include ivory or black because they will go with everything, but for those who like color, there are still a wide range of stunning shades and patterns to pick from.
For the nails, you can never go wrong with luxury nail polishes like Chanel or Dior – the formula is phenomenal, colors are rich and a nice luxury polish is sure to please. Chanel has their Les Rouge Culte Collection (2) on Chanel.com which has three beautiful reds (do note that polishes ship ground). MAC Cosmetics has three reds in their Red Red Red Collection (9) called Red, Red, Red, Rouge Combustion and Impassioned.
The Diptyque Holiday 5 Piece Coffret (5) has been selling out very quickly. You can still find it online at Saks Fifth Avenue, Beautyhabit and Diptyque. I ordered a few of these sets as gifts. They are boxed beautifully and the presentation is quite stunning. Nordstrom has the exclusive on the luxurious 10 Piece Set. For other brands, Jo Malone, Henri Bendel and Byredo also have lovely sets this year.
Philosophy Amazing Grace is one of my favorite feminine scents. The Rollerball (6) and Bath and Shower Gel (7) have this girly pink tint to them. You can find a number of good Philosophy Gift Sets this time of year. Dolce & Gabbana Dolce (3) is another beautiful feminine scent. It’s a lovely floral that comes in a wide range of sizes. The full sized bottles are capped with a white rose. It looks lovely on the dresser and also smells very good. There are a number of fragrance value sets this year. Rollerballs are good stocking stuffer ideas too.
For the lips, there are so many good lip sets this year. By Terry (8) has a Baume de Rose Collection of 5 minis and it is really quite incredible (review soon). NARS Tech Fashion is another favorite (review here).
Last but not least, a leather zip clutch or pouch is another no-fail idea. Truffle Privacy Clutches (10) come in a wide number of colors and are relatively affordable options for a leather accessory. I ordered multiples of the Nude and Black as gifts this year (see them in action here, here, here and here). You can use them to store makeup or as an on-the-go clutch. more ideas below.
Marc Jacobs Beauty has a new limited-edition Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer this holiday called Midnight In Paris ($24 for 13 ml/0.43 fl oz). It’s a deep indigo teal cream polish that was first featured in Marc Jacobs’ Spring 2014 runway show. This holiday’s polish comes with a silver reflective cap and the bottle is cased in a black velvet stand with a keepsake box. The presentation and design is beautifully executed making this a lovely gift for those who love nail polishes.
Midnight in Paris is a richly pigmented indigo cream. The pigment is insanely good and I was able to get full even coverage with just one coat. It is very dark in color making this almost like a midnight black, but there is enough blue in it that it still looks blue on the nails. The formula on the Marc Jacobs nail lacquers vary depending on finish. Some are jelly sheers, others are high metallics while some have a more refined shimmer. Midnight in Paris is a pigmented cream (similar formula to the Runway Nudes swatched here).
Here it is swatched with two thin coats. I used the Formula X Base Coat and Chanel Laque Brilliance Extreme on top (my hand and nail care essentials here).
A few comparisons to some other deep inky blue polishes:
If you already own a lot of deep indigo nail polishes, you might want to shop your stash and skip this one. The formula is really amazing with this one though. One coat is enough to cover the entire nail and in my experience Marc Jacobs nail polish last remarkably well without any chipping or tip wear for up to 5 days.
Midnight in Paris is a limited-edition shade. You can find it at Sephora and Marc Jacobs Beauty while supplies last. Did you check out anything from the Marc Jacobs holiday collection or order any of the Black Friday sets? I’d love to hear what you think is good.
I’ve received a few requests for a lip swatch on the Petal 135 Classic Cream Lipstick I featured in yesterday’s Dolce & Gabbana Beauty roundup. The online stock photos for Petal on my screen look lighter and less saturated in color compared to the real lipstick. I tested out a few of the nudes and Petal is a medium neutral nude pink. It’s the perfect balance between warm and cool, on me it leans slightly warm which works better for my lips.
Here is Petal 135 swatched on bare lips:
For skin tone reference, I am wearing NARS Radiant Cream Compact Foundation in Punjab (reviewed here) and Dolce & Gabbana Powder Foundation in Warm 100 (reviewed here).
Comparisons added to some other nude pink lipsticks, same set in both photos, just slightly different lighting:
Today I’m sharing Part 2 of my Dolce & Gabbana Beauty favorites. There is a lot to explore with the Dolce & Gabbana beauty line and over the past few years I’ve done some extensive testing. Today’s post will be an introduction to some of the items I have enjoyed the most. What I think is the most appealing about the line is the diverse color range in all of the products. There are good nudes and soft pinks to appeal to neutral makeup lovers, but there are also a lot of more dramatic and bright shades for those who crave color.
Up first are the Smooth Eye Color Quads ($60 each for 4.8 g/ 0.16 oz) in Smoky 105 and Contrasts 140. Smoky is hands down the best smokey eyeshadow quad I’ve tried. The pigment is very good and smooth. It has a pigmented matte black, deep chocolate bronze, shimmering sand and a pale ivory pink frost. If you find most traditional grey, silver and black smokey eyeshadow palettes too cool-toned for you, the Dolce & Gabbana Smoky is a great alternative. The sand and bronze colors add depth and definition with a warm touch. Contrasts is a softer palette of rosy colors. It has a soft petal pink shimmer, a pale pink-tinged cream satin, a soft plum shimmer and a warm reddish bronze shimmer. This will give you a soft defined eye that isn’t too nude or too pink. If you’re new to eye makeup and want to ease into wearing color, this is a great introductory quad that is impossible to mess up or overdo.
Next is the Perfect Mono Cream Eye Color ($36 for 4 g / 0.14 oz) in Desert 40. This one is listed as a matte shade but it has a slight shimmery sheen to it. Desert is a cool-toned tan nude shade. On my skin tone it’s the perfect contouring nude shade to add depth and a hint of color. I like this one alone or combined with the Smoky Quad. It has a soft velvety texture. It is creamy to the touch but dries quickly. I found it went on smoothly when my lids were primed with a tiny bit of eye cream. It is described as a long-wear cream shadow that is supposed to last up to 12 hours. I found it lasted from morning to night for me, I’ve tested it for around 9-10 hours and each time it stayed put and did not budge.
To define the eyes, the original pencil released was the Crayon Intense Eyeliner ($30 each). These are highly pigmented pencils that come with an angled applicator at one end for blending. Lasting power depends on the shades. I find the metallics last long on my eyes while the mattes don’t. Shades like Stromboli and Coffee have a matte base with flecks of sparkle – I find these work best if you layer a powder shadow on top of them to intensify color and get a smokey eye look. They don’t smudge but they on me they fade by early-afternoon. I’ve had better experience with the shimmery metallics though like Bronzo, Shimmer and Agave – all of which last quite long on my eyes from morning until night.
For lips, Dolce & Gabbana offers a wide range of textures and finishes. There are sheer shine lipsticks, glossy lipsticks, pigmented cream lipsticks and glosses with different levels of pigment and shimmer. Do note these are heavily scented with a soft rose fragrance so if you are super sensitive to scents your mileage may vary on tolerance. I find I can wear them without any issue and the scent does fade after 5 minutes or so. Out of all the formulas, I would say the Classic Cream ($33 for 3.5 g) and Voluptuous Monica Lipstick ($34 each) formulas perform the best. They are creamy, smooth and moisturizing with pigmented coverage. The Classic Cream Lipstick in Petal 135 is my newest acquisition and I find it is the perfect pink nude cream, it leans neutral but has the perfect balance of warm and cool in it to not wash out the face or pull blue on my pigmented lips.
For glosses, the packaging was re-designed although it still comes in a clear tube and sponge tip applicator. I have several colors in the Sheer Shine ($31 for 5 ml) formula. Two I’ve used up include Seduction 100 and Nude 60. I’ve found the old and new formulas to be identical. These are sheer glosses with high shine that work best when layered over a lipstick.
For many years I would do a lipliner + lipstick + gloss look on a daily basis. These days I find I usually skip lipliner altogether but Dolce & Gabbana does have a wide range of perfect nudes. I prefer to find a lipliner that matches my natural lip tone or something slightly lighter to go with nude lip colors. The Precision Lip Liner ($30) comes in a wide range of nude shades with pink, brown and rose undertones. They blend in well with the lip naturally and help extend the wear of lipstick. These come with a brush at one end which is handy for blending. Cashmere 8 is a good versatile nude. I’ve swatched a couple others below.
For the nails, Dolce & Gabbana has over 30 shades to choose from. The polishes are called Intense Nail Lacquer ($25 each for 11 ml). I’ve accumulated quite a few to date and like these for the glossy finish and smooth texture. Even the sheer shades have really good coverage and smooth application. Three I’m obsessed with include Perfection (a sheer but smooth nude with a jelly finish), Chocolate (a deep glossy chocolate cream with a jelly finish) and Cosmopolitan (a sheer coral peach, also with a jelly finish). The colors can be easily duped but the formulas have this perfect jelly texture that has an ultra glossy finish. Lasting power is really good and I usually get 5 days of wear without any chipping or tip wear. If you try these I think you will be impressed with the smooth coverage these offer.
I hope you found this a helpful introduction to the Dolce & Gabbana Beauty line. The brand offers high quality luxurious products that I find perform really well. It’s definitely one I recommend exploring the next time you are at a counter. Out of all that Dolce & Gabbana has to offer, if I had to pick three things to look at for starters, it would be the Powder Foundation (reviewed here), Smoky Quad and any one of the Luminous Cheek Colors.
This post was sponsored by Nordstrom. All opinions are my own. For more information you can refer to my Disclosures page.
I’ve been a long time fan of Dolce & Gabbana Beauty but it has been one of those hard-to-find lines that I don’t have easy access to. For years I’ve ordered items sight unseen over the phone but now the line has started to expand into other retailers. They are currently available at Nordstrom and I’m thrilled that one of my local counters carries the brand so I can test everything in person. Since some of you still might be new to the line or not have easy access to the brand yet, I’ve teamed up with Nordstrom to share some of my favorites in a two-part series. Today’s feature will focus on face products I’ve tested including their primer, several foundations and a couple blushes I really like.
Left to right, Perfect Matte Powder Foundation, Foundation Brush, Perfect Matte Liquid Foundation, Perfect Luminous Liquid Foundation and Sheer Radiance Make Up Base
The Dolce & Gabbana Powder Foundation ($60 for 15 g) was one of the first items I tried from the line. I have used a couple shades over the past few years, but right now my skin match is Warm 100. This product is my holy grail powder foundation. I’ve lost count of how many times I have repurchased this one. I usually have two on hand at any given time. I have one for home and one to keep in my purse for touch ups. It offers medium to full but very natural looking coverage. It comes with a compartment at the bottom to hold a sponge applicator. I prefer to use a brush to apply it as a setting powder, although it does offer enough coverage to use alone. I really like how it offers phenomenal coverage but doesn’t look cakey, heavy or flat. The lasting power on my combination skin is very good and stays put from morning to night. I do need the occasional touch up on the nose in the afternoon, but overall it lasts very long.
I don’t usually do a traditional contour for my face but do like to add a hint of a natural color for warmth or depth. Two of the best natural cheek colors include Luminous Cheek Color Blushes ($45 each for 5 g) in Caramel which is a pinky beige caramel and Tan which is an interesting grey. I like layering them together. Caramel brightens the face by adding a hint of color that looks natural but warm. Tan is one of the most unique blushes I’ve seen that is a grey color but earthy in undertone. I sometimes use this on the eyes as well. The texture is soft and silky without any detectable fragrance. The pigment is medium but easy to build by layering.
In terms of liquid foundations, Dolce & Gabbana has four options right now. I used to use the Perfect Luminous Creamy Foundation a number of years ago and really liked it but once I used it up never repurchased, mainly because I prefer pump or squeeze tube foundations to large pots. (I mixed Warm 100 and Soft Sand 140.) Today I have three of the liquid foundations to review and compare for you. All of them come packaged in a sturdy glass bottle with a handy pump dispenser. Based on my experience, all the formulas have a slight variation in color but they do have similarities.
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The Perfect Luminous Liquid Foundation ($60 for 1 fl oz) is my favorite out of all the liquid formulas. I use Caramel 110 and it is a perfect match with olive but neutral undertones. The formula has a medium liquid texture that is easy to blend and offers medium to full coverage. It evens out the skin tone and has a very subtle luminous finish. I would say this is good for normal to dry skin. It lasts all day for me and doesn’t get oily or greasy as the day wears on. If you have super oily skin you may feel this is a bit too dewy for you. Dolce & Gabbana has a Foundation Brush ($41) made of synthetic material that I received as a gift with purchase many years ago. I’ve found it works well to apply liquid products, but I prefer to apply my foundations with a sponge like a damp Beautyblender.
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The Perfect Matte Luminous Foundation ($67 for 1 fl oz) is a full coverage matte finish foundation. Out of all the foundations I’ve tested from Dolce & Gabbana, the matte version gives the fullest most opaque coverage, but it doesn’t make the skin look flat. The formula and coverage is phenomenal, but for me the downside is I can’t find an exact match in this formula. I was told that the shades in the matte formula are slightly lighter than the other foundation formulas because it warms up to the skin and adjusts as your natural oils warm up the product. Caramel 110 is a bit too light and too pink for me. On my skin it will warm up after a few minutes and if I set with a slightly darker powder or mix in a bit of a liquid bronzer it works just fine. The next two shades up are quite a jump for me. Natural Beige 120 is very olive and Warm Rose 130 is very pink. The lasting power on this is really good and it will last all day. However you do need to take extra care to remove all traces at the end of the day because it really lasts (and sticks). I wish I had a perfect match to this formula because the finish is flawless. I have been mixing my Caramel 110 with a few liquid bronzers to make it work better. I have contemplated buying the Natural Beige 120 to mix the two colors but haven’t splurged yet.
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The Perfect Reveal Lift Foundation ($72 for 1 fl oz) is the newest addition to the Dolce & Gabbana foundation lineup. This one is enriched with special skincare properties designed to add moisture and reveal younger-looking and natural skin. I’ve been testing this for a couple months now and think it is a decent foundation. The color Caramel 110 is a very good match for me. The formula on this one offers sheer to medium coverage on my skin. It does smooth out the skin and does give it a youthful appearance but I haven’t noticed any changes to my skin yet. I suspect one needs to use this over a long period of time to see the skincare effects. Out of all the foundations Dolce & Gabbana has to offer, I think the Lift formula will be the most universally suitable for a wide variety of skin types. It seems to be the type that will suit normal, dry or oily skin. The coverage is medium and although it’s not sheer, I do find I need a powder foundation on top to give me more coverage.
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Last but not least, I have a review on the new The Primer Sheer Radiance Make Up Base. I am usually hesitant to test primers without trying a sample first, but I went ahead and ordered this sight unseen. Many of my readers have e-mailed me asking for thoughts on this. After doing some testing on this, I am very glad I ordered it. This primer has SPF 30 and comes with a pump dispenser. I like that it comes in the same size bottle as the liquid foundations for packaging consistency and easy storage. The primer is a white fluid with a medium texture. A little goes a long way and I’ve found I only need one pump to cover the entire face. The primer does leave a slightly white cast to my medium/olive skin, but most of my foundations have enough pigment to cover it entirely and cancel out any white cast. I am really impressed with how this primer feels and how it makes a visible difference in how foundation goes on the skin. The primer gives the skin a soft feel and preps the skin well while offering a slightly moisturizing feel. I like that it’s not heavy, greasy and doesn’t have that silicone feel that many primers have. I give it a huge thumbs up, however, I’m not an everyday primer kind of person. The Dolce & Gabbana foundations work so well on their own, I don’t think this is an absolutely necessary step. That being said, this is one of the best primers I’ve tried and I do think it’s definitely worth looking into. For me it’s a huge plus that there is no detectable fragrance.
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Here are swatches of the Dolce & Gabbana liquid foundations I have and the primer. I’ve added swatches of the Matte formula in 120 and 130 for reference:
A few comparison swatches to other foundations I have in rotation for reference:
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My top two picks are the Perfect Matte Powder Foundation and Perfect Luminous Liquid Foundation. I do like the Matte Liquid formula however color matching is essential when it comes to foundations and for me, the current color lineup doesn’t have my exact match. The newest Lift formula performs well, but after a few weeks of testing, I haven’t really seen any changes in my skincare to warrant the extra price (it is still a very good formula though).
I hope you found this roundup helpful! If you’re in the market for a good powder foundation, I really recommend the one by Dolce & Gabbana. If you’ve tried any of the face products or foundations from the line, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
This post was sponsored by Nordstrom. All opinions my own. For more information please refer to my disclosures.
I’ll be hosting a giveaway each week until the end of the year. This week’s giveaway includes 1 set of Chanel goodies to 1 lucky winner that will be selected randomly via the Rafflecopter widget. My Chanel Holiday Picks Giveaway this round includes:
1 full size Brompton Road Poudre Tissee
1 full size Wild Rose Glossimer
1 mini Nude Lipliner
It’s open internationally but you must be 18 years or older and you must enter via the Rafflecopter widget below to be eligible.
All items are new and the Brompton Road will come in the original box + pouch (it’s just not shown in the photograph). In case you’re wondering what it is, Brompton Road is a highlighting powder and blush product that was a limited-edition release back in 2011 (review here). I have a backup that I’ve decided to pull out and giveaway to one lucky winner.
Entries will be collected through December 17, 2014. Please refer to the terms and conditions in the widget for more details. Note you must enter through the widget, comments to this post will not be counted as valid entries.
For the holiday season Burberry Beauty has released a stunning Complete Eye Palette quad called Gold No. 25 ($60 for 5.4 g/0.19 oz, limited-edition, made in Italy). It’s one of the prettiest eye palettes I’ve seen this season for the holiday (for me it’s tied with Chanel Rêve D’Orient). Gold No. 25 is an interesting quad of gold, sage, bronze and chocolate. The shades combined create unique and modern twist on a golden nude eye. It comes cased in a gold-colored compact with the Burberry check pattern (which has been designed specifically for the holiday beauty collection).
All the shades are shimmery in this palette with extremely good pigment. The shadows are buttery smooth with a rich velvety texture that adheres well to the lids. The color is easy to build, layer, and blend. Together the light gold and sage-gold shades create the perfect soft wash while the bronze and chocolate define the eye and can be layered for a soft smokey look.
I know many of my readers are conservative when it comes to shimmer for the eyes. I’m still at a point in my life where I love a good shimmer (even some frosts are good for me). I don’t know that I will ever stop wearing shimmer (right now I’m in my early 30’s). I think the shimmer in this palette is finely milled enough that it will be wearable even for those timid of shimmery shadows.
The colors in this palette include a cool-toned creamy gold, an olive gold metallic, a soft warm bronze and a sparkling deep chocolate.
Two more close ups, the top without a flash in natural light. The bottom is in direct sunlight.The colors are so beautiful and the combination is genius in my mind.
Swatches:
When I saw the promo photos online, I thought it looked remarkably similar to Charlotte Tilbury The Golden Goddess. I’ve purchased a few of her quads and really like them, although most of the palettes contain a sparkle/glitter shade which I know will be a bit too glitzy for some. I personally find the sparkle wearable and conservative enough when layered over the other shades. A swatch comparison shows the Charlotte Tilbury to be a lot warmer in color compared to the Burberry. I think they are different enough to justify both, but if I had to pick just one, it would hands down be the Burberry Gold Complete Eye Palette.
One last shot:
I give Burberry Gold No. 25 a huge thumbs up. It’s the perfect mix of warm, neutral and cool, all in one palette. The colors layer together very well and the texture is smooth and easy to blend. I think it’s definitely worth checking out. It is limited-edition but still seems to be available online at many places including Net-A-Porter, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue (on backorder).
The Gold No. 25 quad was provided courtesy of Burberry for review consideration.
