Nordstrom is having a special promotion going on in stores and online where select items and brands are marked down 10% off for a limited time, now through Tuesday, June 10, 2014. Brands qualifying include Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Dior, Lancome, Laura Mercier, Kiehl’s, NARS and more (select items only). Click on the Beauty Sale Section to see which items qualify. (In stores you may have more options, my local counter was offering Chanel at the discount for a limited time.) Some items I found qualifying shown below.
The MAC Pedro Lourenço Nude Eyeshadow Quad ($44, limited-edition) is a stunning neutral palette. It has the perfect combination of soft rose, champagne, and reddish bronze to create a number of polished looks. I’ve had this on my radar for a few weeks now and I’m glad I was able to purchase one before it sold out. It has four colors in Pink Sands (a soft cool matte rose), All That Glitters (shimmery champagne), Rose Cloud (interesting matte brown, both cool and neutral with a bit of warmth) and Sable (warm bronze/copper frost). Two of the colors All That Glitters and Sable are available individually and even though I already own both in Pro-Palette Form, I still felt this quad was worth purchasing for the convenience and packaging. Plus the other two colors are really good mattes that have good pigment and texture.
What I like about this quad is that it has a good mix of neutral, cool and warm tones making it flattering on a number of skin tones. It’s one that I think will flatter those with pink tones or olive.
Here it is swatched on my olive/medium Chanel 30 skin, on me it pulls more warm. On darker skins I suspect there will be a bit more contrast and the shades will look a bit more neutral-cool.
Some have commented that it resembles the Urban Decay Naked3 Palette (review/swatches here). There are some similarities in the concept in that both Pedro Lourenço Nude and Urban Decay Naked3 have that soft feminine rose-gold theme. I swatched a few shades side by side to compare, I think they are different enough to justify both. The MAC is slightly more neutral/warm and also more subtle. The Urban Decay, while I still find natural, has more dramatic options with more frosted textures. I also pulled a few other shades from MAC.
Overall a huge winner in my book and it’s a palette I highly recommend. I’ve only been able to wear this a couple days so far but it applies quite well with soft velvety textures. The shadows are not quite as velvety/buttery like Urban Decay or Burberry, but they are still very good. The MAC Pedro Lourenço Nude is a quad I know I will be wearing down to the pan.
The MAC Pedro Lourenço Nude Eyeshadow Quad ($44) is available as a limited-edition palette. I recommend you order or track this down at your local counter or store very soon as other items from the collection have already sold out online at lightening speed.
I hope everyone is having a good week so far. I’m still trying to get used to the fact that we are already into the month of June. For some mid-week beauty cravings, here are some highlights on items on my radar and a sneak peek of what’s coming out soon. Details from top left, clockwise.
MAC Pedro Lourenço will be released in stores and counters this Thursday. Items have been posted online early though and are selling out quickly. I was able to order the Nude Eyeshadow Quad ($44). I have my eye on Gold Mirror Lipglass and Mirror Lipglass ($16.50 each). I’ll be trying to track these down this Thursday.
NARS is coming out with 12 new shades and formula of eyeshadow called Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow ($29 each) which have a unique wet or dry application formula. The colors range from delicate peach pink to fierce black orchid. These will be available for sale beginning July 1 at NARS boutiques and on narscosmetics.com along with a new eyeshadow brush. In the meantime NARS has created two videos for a preview. (For full color listing, check out The Non-Blonde.)
Burberry Summer Showers has arrived online at Burberry with three new colors of Nail Polish in Orange Poppy 221, Pink Peony 222, Pink Azalea 223 ($21 each). There are corresponding Lip Glow Balms and Fresh Glow Blushes as well to match each shade. These look like beautiful brights perfect for summer weather.
Jo Malone has a new Cologne Intense in Tuberose Angelica ($145). Being a huge fan of the other Cologne Intense fragrances, I’m eager to try this one out. My Jo Malone rep said it has already arrived in store, perfect timing for Neiman Marcus’s Camp Gorgeous Event (June 5 through 15 or while supplies last, gift with purchases online and in stores).
Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Balm in Sugar Rose is one of the classic pinks ($22.50 each). A new shade in Sugar Tulip has just been released. Sephora.com has an exclusive early release preview for purchase for those who are VIB Members. I ordered this last week and it just arrived. I can’t wait to try it as it looks like a fresh pink.
What’s on your radar this week? Did you order the MAC items when they went live online? Any other new or recent discoveries?
My latest Diptyque discovery is the Aubépine Candle ($60 for 109g/6.5 oz). My husband brought me home two candles from the Diptyque Maiden Lane Boutique from a recent business trip along with one of their Photophore covers. Aubépine translates to Hawthorn. It’s described as a delicate wild flower with round and powdery accents. I’m normally not drawn to powdery florals but this one has a lovely mix of sweet almond and vanilla notes. It’s unique and fresh with almond hints making this my new favorite by Diptyque. It’s very soothing and brightens the mood. My husband picked a good one.
It’s a well rounded scent. The powdery aspect can seem quite strong when you first take it out of the box, but Aubépine burns quite nicely with the floral and almond blending in well. I find it to be more on the feminine side but it’s not quite as girly or floral as Roses or Rosa Mundi.
I absolutely adore it and was so impressed with my husband’s picks. Aubépine is one of the Diptyque Boutique Exclusives in the US so you won’t find it anywhere in stores except in their boutiques. It is available online at Diptyque, Lucky Scent, Beauty Habit and SpaceNK (UK).
Have you visited a Diptyque store? I always try to visit one when traveling as I adore the store layouts, creative decor and accessories they have. In case you missed it, check out my features on Maiden Lane, Los Angeles and South Coast Plaza.
What’s your current favorite from Diptyque? I feel another store visit coming soon for me.
I shared my favorite bronzers and illuminators with you last year in my Summer Glow post. There are a number of new bronzers and glowy products out this year that I’ve been testing lately that I wanted to share with you. Two have made the favorites list again this year. I’ve split this year’s post into two categories: glow and bronze. For me the two aren’t necessarily separate, I like to mix, blend and layer products to create a custom natural bronze or subtle glow. All of these work well with my normal combination sensitive skin (no break outs or reactions to these).
RMS Living Luminizer is one of those cult classic products. I’ve long resisted because after feeling it a few times in stores thought it would be too greasy for my normal/combination skin. I finally caved after a few friends demanded I give it a try. It is one of the most dewy and glowy highlighters I own but it does miraculously give a natural healthy sheen. It has barely any color on my medium skin and isn’t too pale to give a sharp white contrast. It just gives a subtle sheen. I like this under blush or over it to add a bit of glow. I dab it on very lightly with fingers.
NARS Illuminator in 413 Blkr (review here) is a lovely champagne colored highlighter that isn’t too pale or too yellow, it’s gorgeous mixed in with foundation or used as a highlighter
Edward Bess All Over Seduction in Afterglow is one of my holy grail highlighters, it’s perfect for medium-tanned skin beauty lovers who are looking for a good neutral highlighter that isn’t pale, I use it as an eye base, on the cheeks, on the temples, I’ve hit pan on this twice, it’s a must-have with gorgeous shimmer and non-greasy finish, it’s perfection
NARS Illuminator in Hot Sand is new for summer, also limited-edition, I had to wait several weeks for this one, it sold out at all the counters near me so I ordered online, if you haven’t checked this one out, I recommend it, it’s a unique gorgeous peachy shimmer that dries down to a non-dewy finish (so it stays put)
Tom Ford Skin Illuminator in Fire Lust is repromoted this year, it sold out in the blink of an eye last year, if you missed out the first round, you have a chance to buy it this year (but with a white cap), I’m about half-way through mine from last year, it’s extremely pricey but worth every penny (review last year here)
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Radiant Light made the list again this year, it’s a sheer glowy powder with tiny micro sparkle particles but looks very natural on the skin, I recommend using a cream base (highlight or blush) underneath to help the color adhere better, once it does you get a lovely natural glow (also available in the palette/trio reviewed here)
Chanel Les Beiges Multi-Colour No. 02 (review here) if you’re looking for something new this summer, this is the bronzer to buy, it’s soft and natural and for me, it’s back-up worthy
Chanel Blush Creme in Cheeky is a new blush creme from the summer collection, I thought it would be too similar to Destiny but it proved to be more pink and neutral
Armani Liquid Summer Bronzer (review here) is a nice darker liquid bronzer, if you like a layerable fluid bronzer, I recommend this one (although if you have the classic Bronze Universel by Chanel, you don’t need this one because the color is similar)
MAC Extra Dimension Bronzer in Aphrodite’s Shell and Delphic are both part of the Alluring Aquatic collection (both limited-edition). These are on the more subtle end of bronzers with a unique satiny-matte texture. They are buildable and with a slightly harder texture which makes these easy to layer on softly. They also adhere well to the skin and don’t budge once applied. I adore both shades and prefer Delphic because it’s more dramatic but they are both gorgeous. I would highly recommend acting fast with these, I’m surprised they are still available online and at counters.
More close ups in case you want to see the texture and shimmer in more detail:
There are a number of classic products such as NARS Multiples, Armani Fluid Sheers and all sorts of bronzers and highlighters that I adore. These are some that have been on my radar for a while (new ones along with tried and true).
What’s in your beauty rotation right now for bronzers or highlighters?
L’Occitane recently released Néroli & Orchidée as a new addition to their La Collection de Grasse line, inspired by the world perfume capital in the south of France. There is a lovely Néroli & Orchidée Collector’s Set ($85) which the 2.5 fl.oz Eau de Toilette, 6 fl.oz Shower Gel, and 6 fl.oz Body Milk. This fragrance line is a mix of both neroli and orchid, making it a lively juicy floral. I like that this set has a variety of items to sample. All are packaged in a lovely simply pink-beige tone making these lovely additions to your bathroom or guest room. The box is also quite lovely making this a great gift. Notes for these include orange, mandarin
neroli, lily of the valley, fig milk, peach
orchid, iris, musk – it is very feminine.
My favorite item of the three is the Shower Gel. It leaves the skin feeling very clean, I like to run a little bit into the bath – it bubbles nicely and I like that this feels nice on the skin.
The Body Milk has a soft and silky feel. The texture is thin but not too fluid, it’s very moisturizing and absorbs quickly into the skin and leaves the skin feeling refreshed and soft (no sticky remnants or dry-down). The Eau de Toilette has a very lightweight airy feel. With both of these the initial scent after first application is on the strong side of sweet. The best part in my opinion is the dry down. It turns less sharp and less sweet to a soft fruity floral. Lasting power on both of these layered is medium – but I usually prefer body products that are more subtle. I like that these are compact and small enough to fit on your night stand or dresser table without taking up a lot of space.
The Néroli & Orchidée Collector’s Set is available in stores and online at L’Occitane for $85 or individually as well. If you’re shopping online, don’t forget to check their Special Offers page for deals and gift with purchase offers. I’ve been eyeing the Vanille and Narcisse along with Mer and Mistral but have been avoiding the store because I always leave with more than what I have on my shopping list.
Have you tried anything from the La Collection de Grasse? What scent is your favorite?
This set was provided as a press sample by L’Occitane for review consideration, for more information see my Disclosures.
Marc Jacobs released five new shades of nail polish designed for the runway shows in Klute, 9 to 5, Tootsie, Charlie and Julia ($18 each, exclusive to Marcjacobsbeauty.com). Based on the previews and promotional images I expected pinkish nudes, they turned out to be a bit warmer and with more of a beige base in real life, but these still proved to be chic neutrals. All the colors are creams without shimmer. They are on the opaque side with full coverage after two coats. Some nudes can be a bit finicky to apply and often streak on the first coat, I found application with these shades to be a bit mixed.
Klute is a warm beige with yellow tones, 9 to 5 is a neutral cream beige with a hint of pink, Tootsie is a mauveish cool-toned nude, Charlie is a warm/neutral latte color, Julia is a dusty purple-brown. My top three favorites are 9to5, Tootsie and Julia.
All photos by me, as usual, please do not republish or use content or photos without express written permission.
I thought there might be similarities between some of the current Marc Jacobs Nail Polishes from Sephora to the new ones, I took my nail wheel into the store and swatched a few of the colors to see if they were similar. Nail comparisons to other beiges, nudes, browns and greys include:
Overall pleased with the wear and lasting power after two coats. I had application issues with 9 to 5 and Tootsie but not anything out of the ordinary with some nudes. It just took me a few re-do’s to get an even application. It took me a few tries to figure out the right amount of polish to load onto the brush to get smooth coverage. Even though they were a bit harder to apply, I really liked the final result and those two are in my top color picks for nudes.
I’m personally not a fan of Klute or Charlie – I found they had a bit too much yellow which makes my already olive skin look a bit sallow.
Julia is almost identical to Delphine (which I don’t own). If you already own Delphine you can skip Julia.
For more Marc Jacobs Nail Lacquer reviews you can see features on this blog on Petra, Le Charm, Gatsby and Daisy. I’ve overall been really happy with the formula and color options. This was my first time trying non-shimmers from the line.
The five runway shades Klute, 9 to 5, Tootsie, Charlie and Julia are
currently exclusive to Marc Jacobs Beauty. All other Marc Jacobs shades
are also available at Sephora.
Have you tried any of the nudes? What did you think?
