Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! I hope you are enjoying some time with loved ones and are able to take some time to yourself to relax and unwind from the business of the holiday season. I was gifted my first Nest Birchwood Pine 3-Wick Candle earlier this month and loved it so much I bought a few more as gifts. Those who adore this scent – it’s now marked down on 25% off sale here and here. The Holiday Scent candles are also on sale as well, here and here. If you’re a Nest fan please let me know what other scents you love. Would appreciate recommendations!
A few other sales and markdowns to note because they are too good to not share:
Kate Somerville Melrose Place Holiday Kit is on markdown online at Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus to $68 (originally $85)
Nordstrom Beauty has a ton of beauty sets marked down, Kiehl’s sets are 20% off, Philosophy holiday scents and sets are 25% off, select Molton Brown items are 30% off
Sephora has a sale on sale event, take 20% off sale items with code EXTRA20 (online only, ends 1/1/2016)
L’Occitane has a Winter Sale on select items marked down 20% off, 30% off and 50% off online
If you know of any other good sales going on, please feel free to share in the comments. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas today – thank you to everyone who reads and follows The Beauty Look Book. I’ll have one last reveal of my Diptyque Advent Calendar today (plus a giveaway) so stay tuned.
Is it too early for spring beauty yet? For those looking forward, there is a lot on the horizon for spring that focuses on fresh and glowing beauty. I’ve already spotted sneak peeks of new foundation releases from Chanel, Laura Mercier, YSL, Armani, NARS to name a few – all to be launching soon. For now, here’s a roundup of new beauty launches on my radar that you can purchase right now if you need instant gratification. I placed a large order a couple days ago for some Dior spring items and also picked up a few pieces from Chanel spring. I’ll be testing them in the next week and have swatches as soon as I can.
Chanel Collection L.A. Sunrise for spring 2016 has started to trickle in stores and is now live on Chanel.com, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. It has a brighter feel than what I normally go for, but I love that everything is lively and colorful. What I picked up (reviews + swatches soon):
Charlotte Tilbury Magic just launched the Magic Skin Trilogy with two new additions to her Magic Line. I’m a huge fan of her Magic Cream ($100) and couldn’t be more thrilled to see it available now in the Magic Night Cream ($145) and Magic Eye Rescue Cream ($60). I’ve been testing both of the new items for 3 days now, will have a report back after a few more days but I can say now that the Magic Night Cream is phenomenal – I wake up with glowing skin. (Also available in a Magic Skin Trilogy Set for $285.)
Bobbi Brown Extra Lip Tint ($33) launched a few weeks ago. I went to two counters to see if they had it in stock and both had sold out so I ordered it online. I’m excited to see how it compares to the ones from Clarins and Dior.
Dior has a couple spring launches, one is a Lip Glow collection which features the Addict Lip Glow Color Reviver Lip Balm ($33) in Lilac. As a fan of the pink and coral, I’m really excited to see how this one wears.
Dior Glowing Gardens for Spring has light and airy colors with powders ebossed with gorgeous floral designs. The Diorskin Nude Air Illuminating Powders ($58) in Glowing Pink and Glowing Nude look so pretty. There are two Eyeshadow Palettes in Blue Garden and Rose Garden ($63 each) but as one who rarely wears aqua or green eyeshadow, I will need to test before splurging.
Henri Bendel Champagne Candle ($30), need I say more? My local store was sold out but had one burning in-store. It smells amazingly fresh.
My wishlist is already a mile long. I will need to do some sorting, thinking and prioritizing before splurging. What’s on your radar for the upcoming spring beauty season?
Several of you have asked for swatches and more thoughts on the Laura Mercier In The Glow Trio ($38, featured here). Unfortunately by this time it has sold out everywhere but I thought I’d share swatches anyways along with a review of other recent discoveries from the line. I’ve had the Lip Glacé ($25) in Rose Gold Accent on my radar for months. I was hesitant about the sparkle but decided to cave and buy it and I’m glad I did. The Lip Parfait Creamy Colorbalms ($25) launched earlier this year. I fell in love with the creamy formula and wanted so badly for Amaretto Swirl to work for me – alas I found it too pale for my pigmented lips and decided to opt for Cinn-ful instead. Last but not least, I’ve been playing around with some skincare. I’m one who likes the soothing calming effects of skincare with rose, but my super sensitive nose makes it hard for me to wear rose-scented products sometimes. The Laura Mercier Infusion de Rose ($24-$68, or $110 for the trio set) items are really good for dry winter skin but are super gentle on the fragrance.
Up first is the sold-out In the Glow Trio Set. It had mini sizes of the Matte Radiance Baked Powder in Highlight 01 (0.06 oz.), Bonne Mine Stick Face Colour in Peach Glow (0.12 oz.) and a Caviar Stick Eye Colour in Rosegold (0.03 oz.). You can buy all the items in the full-size version. I had been wanting to try both of the face products and thought this would be a good starter set to test out the items without splurging on the full size. For my medium-olive toned skin, I found both the cheek products very natural on me.
Bonne Mine Stick Face Colour in Peach Glow gives a very natural peachy glow. Because it’s a close match to my skintone, it gives a barely there glow. It’s a lovely natural cream blush but I suspect it would be more visible on fairer skintones.
The Matte Radiance Powder seems like a contradiction with the both of the words matte and radiant in the same name. On my arm it swatches like a shimmery pale champagne. On my face it translates into more of a matte finishing glow. Long-time readers know I am beyond obsessed with Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light (it’s my holy grail powder highlighter). The Laura Mercier Highlight 01 Powder by comparison swatches paler on the arms, but applies on the face sheerer and less glowy. I’m probably not fair enough to be able to use it to set my entire face, but it does act more like a soft finishing powder on me.
Rosegold Caviar Eye Color Stick is a no-fuss easy to wear kind of lid color. I use it regularly (at least 2 times every week) as a base or a quick swipe-and-go kind of color. Here’s an eye look with three of the colors including Rosegold in this post here.
I’m glad I was able to test the 2 face products, I will use them to the end. However I prefer the darker Matte Radiance Powders as they show up better on my skin and add life and a very natural contour. The Bonne Mine Cheek Stick is lovely, but also too light for my medium-olive skin to show up other than having a natural glow. That being said it makes for a good base under powder blushes or bronzers.
The Lip Parfait Creamy Colorbalm in Cinn-ful is a super creamy lush brown cinnamon color. On me it’s a darker/warmer your lips but better kind of shade. Amaretto Swirl looks like the most wonderful nude and it is – just on me it was too pale. I suspect I could make it work with liner, but I picked up Cinn-ful to test out the formula. It’s one of the creamiest lip balms I’ve tried and even though it’s a balm, pigment and color payoff is quite impressive. Most tinted balms are sheer to medium in color. This one acts more like a lipstick in terms of finish.
The Lip Glacé in Rose Gold Accent is part of the Candleglow Collection. I had my eye on the Candleglow Palette but after seeing it in stores I decided to pass. The colors, shimmer and pigment are all excellent – it still very tempting, but I found the pans of the top four colors too small to justify the splurge. Rose Gold Accent is a sparkling gloss with a baby pink base. It’s basically clear with loads of shimmer on the lips but I like that it makes the lips look full and healthy without being too glitzy. It’s been a while since I backed-up a lip gloss, I may back up this one.
Last but not least is the Infusion de Rose Nourishing Skincare Line. There are three items in the collection which are available in a limited-edition Infusion de Rose Nourishing Collection set for $110 (it’s a $44 savings). I am smitten with all three items, I think they are particularly good for winter weather right now. The rose soothes and hydrates the skin and makes it feel super smooth. I can’t emphasize enough how thrilled I am that the rose scent is very soft and barely there. Some rose-scented creams are so strong I can’t wear them at night because it prevents me from falling asleep. The ones from Laura Mercier are soft enough that it doesn’t bother me.
You can buy all the items separately which includes:
Flawless Skin Infusion de Rose Nourishing Oil (1 oz.) is a super lightweight nourishing oil. It conditions the skin and leaves it glowing. I normally wear beauty face oils on weekends (no makeup days) or at night as I find many interfere with the lasting power of foundation. This one worked really well for me under foundation.
Infusion de Rose Nourishing Creme (1 oz.) is a smooth feeling cream. It’s emollient and super hydrating. I will say that it is on the emollient side but it doesn’t feel super heavy and absorbs nicely into the skin. A little goes a long way, I really like that it has a smooth lightweight texture.
I think it’s a winning skincare set. I’ve been testing the items for a full month now and can say they have been really good for dry winter weather but still gentle enough for my normal/combination skin.
I hope you found this mini review helpful. I think the Rose Gold Accent Lip Glace is a winner, even though I usually don’t like super sparkly lip glosses, it’s really pretty on. The Infusion de Rose Skincare collection was a pleasant surprise because I ended up liking the entire collection. I was really lucky to receive the In the Glow Trio as a press sample, but after testing it – I can’t say that I’ve discovered any new must-haves. The only must-have in the set for me is the Rosegold Caviar Eye Stick (and I already own the full size). Still sets are a nice way to test something at a cheaper price before committing to the full size.
Do you have any new Laura Mercier favorites? I just saw the Candleglow Foundation popped up online at Sephora. This upcoming month is going to be the season of new foundations and I can’t wait to test them!
Note if you’re shopping for last minute gifts, many are offering expedited shipping upgrades with qualifying purchases. The best one I’ve seen is Nordstrom is offering expedited free shipping until noon EST by December 23rd on qualifying items, each item has an indicator, no min-purchase needed.
Press samples featured include the In the Glow Trio and Infusion de Rose Set.
Above, left to right: Without Your Love, Only You, Explosion and Goodness Gracious
Here are some swatch comparisons for the MAC x Ellie Goulding lip items. For the Cremesheen Lipsticks in Without Your Love and Only You, I picked out some I thought could be similar:
For the Plushglasses, in case you can’t do tingly plumping lip products, a few alternatives below. The Buxom Lip Polishes are tingly/plumping but not as strong as the MAC Plushglass.
Even though I suspect MAC Without Your Love and Only You are both similar to other colors, I’ve deemed them both must-haves. They are light neutrals that are flawless and just work. Both are limited-edition and retail for $18 each. I bought mine at Nordstrom.
The Ellie Goulding for MAC Collaboration is something I’ve been eagerly anticipating for months ever since sneak peek photos surfaced. I ordered almost everything sight unseen from Nordstrom thanks to the great swatches and reviews from other bloggers and am beyond thrilled with all the colors. They are perfectly natural and glowy without being too light or sheer – the Cremesheen Lipsticks in Only You and Without Your Love are the kind of colors I want to wear everyday. I was worried they might be too pale (like Creme Cup) but they are surprisingly wearable on my super pigmented lips. All the items are limited-edition so I suggest ordering soon if you’re interested. I picked up all the new color items and Revved Patentpolish (repromoted color that I didn’t have). I skipped Innocent Patentpolish since I already have it (and find it too pale, swatched here).
Up first are the lips. Patentpolish Lip Pencil in Revved is a sheer peachy pink with a tiny bit of shimmer. It has a glossy finish. On me it’s very peachy, if you want something similar but more pink, try Kittenish (it’s a lovely pink).
I think the highlight of the collection are the two Cremesheen Lipsticks. Without Your Love is a lighter neutral pink (what I wanted Tom Ford Blushed Nude and MAC Creme Cup to be). It’s surprisingly wearable even though it’s on the lighter side. It’s super creamy and feels moisturizing but MAC lipsticks tend to dry my lips. I’ve found adding a bit of balm underneath or primer helps. I’m still obsessed with the MAC Prep + Prime Lips – if you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend you do. Only You is deeper and warmer but still neutral. I do think they are different enough to justify both, I can’t pick one favorite over the other.
The Plushglasses are both semi-sheer on the lips. They have a plumping ingredient that makes the lips tingle. Fortunately they don’t cause an allergic reaction on my lips (they are super sensitive) but I’m not a fan of the numbing sensation they give. I swatched a number of comparisons and alternatives which I’ll have uploaded later this afternoon in case you have sensitive lips and can’t wear them. Given the sheerness I think I could have passed on both of these.
The Halcyon Days and Halcyon Nights Face Kits are very glowy neutrals. They are double-tiered compacts and the top portion slides out to reveal a face product underneath. There is a decent amount of product in each of the compacts – I would have liked to see the top tier flip up and a pan of product that spans the entire size of the compact in the bottom simply because it would be easier to dip a brush inside.
Halcyon Days is a face kit with a Blot Powder and four Cream Color Bases in Wish I Stayed, Tint, Every Time You Go and Root. I have and adore Tint and Root as creamy cheek bases to layer powder blush on top of. The other two shades are new and pretty on the cheeks. I find them too emollient for the eyes although they can work if you layer powder shadows on top.
Halcyon Nights has a Cream Color Base called This Love which looks bronze but goes on a champagne shimmer on me. There are four eyeshadows called Starry Eyed, You My Everything, Saddle and Hanging On. The four eye shades create the perfect glowy warm eye look.
I’ll Hold My Breath Bronzer Blush Duo is a lovely duo that adds warmth and life to the face naturally. The bronzer is slightly shimmer for a very natural warm glow. The blush is a coral pink that has a slight sheen but looks more satiny. I’ve added swatch comparisons to other colors.
Bottom line – the Ellie Goulding for MAC Collection is perfect for the no-makeup makeup look to add a gorgeous natural glow of color to the face. It has a lovely resort feel and I love that everything is slightly warm to give life to the complexion. Highlights for me are the Only You and Without Your Love Cremesheen Lipsticks, I’ll Hold My Breath Duo and Halcyon Nights Palette. The Halcyon Days Palette is nice to have if you like creamy tints (I really like the Cream Color Bases) but the pans are pretty tiny so using a face or cheek brush is going to be hard (I have to use fingers). I could have passed on Revved Up Patentpolish Lip Pencil – it’s pretty and a nice formula, I just prefer the lipsticks. Out of everything I hauled the only two items I am iffy about are the Plushglasses – I just don’t like the way they feel on the lips although the colors are really pretty.
You can find the Ellie Goulding x MAC Collection at all MAC counters now. All items are limited-edition. Online at MAC, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s. Did you pick up anything from the collection?
I have a quick post today revealing the contents of the 2015 Diptyque Advent Calendar for Days 8 through 18. I’ve been good on this one and have opened one each day although I’ve been tempted to cheat and open all the days at once (I already did it for one other beauty calendar, lol). In case you missed Part 1 of the series, the Diptyque Advent Calendar retailed for $390 and sold out at lightening speed. I was lucky to find one even though I was waitlisted. Full contents listed in Part 1.
I haven’t burned all the scents yet, there is one in this week’s reveal that I actually haven’t tried yet which is Cypres. I keep sticking to my favorites Baies, Cuir, Figuier, Noisetter but this sampler set provides a nice way for me to branch out and try other scents.
There are two mini body products this week and I think I have finally found one product from Diptyque that I’m not head over heels in love with. The Rich Body Butter is indeed very rich and moisturizing but I’m not a fan of the scent. It’s very floral with notes of Byzantine rose and Turkish delight. I am really picky with rose scents and I find there is a fine line between a good soft floral and floral overload. If you like rose scents you will probably like the Body Butter. For me it’s too strong.
The other body product is the Precious Oil for Bath and Body. I will need to test this one more, I haven’t tried it in the bath yet, but on dry skin it’s emollient without being greasy. It is scented but it’s a fresh citrus scent (thank goodness it’s not floral). I’m not sure that I would wear this one with perfume as I think it would interfere with other fragrances. If you’ve tried this let me know what you think.
There are three fragrance minis in 34, Do Son and Oud Palao. I’ve tried all three in minis before and I’m not a fan of the Oud – it’s too masculine and heavy in my opinion, but I have a few close friends who are fans of Oud so I’m regifting it to one of them. I really like Do Son and 34 – I’ve accumulated several minis from previous gift with purchases so I’ve never bought the full size even though the bottles are so gorgeous.
As promised with my last reveal, I’m doing another giveaway. This time it’s a $50 e-Gift Card to Nordstrom. It’s open internationally but you must be 18 years or older to qualify. Simply enter through the widget below. Deadline to enter is 12/21/2015 at 11:45 PM PST. Winner will be selected randomly via the Rafflecopter widget, announced on the widget and contacted by e-mail (from me) within 5 days after giveaway entry period ends. If you’re a selected winner and a non-US resident, you may opt to receive $50 USD via Paypal instead.
One last gift guide for the year sharing a roundup of this season’s most luxurious beauty gifts. If you’re looking to splurge on someone extra special (or yourself), here are 18 ideas for the beauty lover.
Out of all the gift options this season, the one line that I think embodies the epitome of glamour is Charlotte Tilbury. There are a number of gorgeous gift sets at all prices – and I love that they have color coordinated sets for lips, sets for the face and full look sets which come packaged in a beautiful luxe box. Of course you can’t go wrong with anything from Chanel whether it’s a luxe perfume or beauty set. The Lower the Shades Set has one of my favorite fool-proof quads in Tissé Rivoli.
If makeup, fragrance or skincare are too hard to pick out for the super picky, beauty tools or cases are more universally appealing. T3 has some amazing new releases. The PROi Professional Hair Dryer is phenomenal (review soon), it’s quite the splurge but it’s the only dryer I’ve tried that gives a blowout that is salon quality. If you remember the Featherweight Compact Set I reviewed in July, well, it’s now available in a White + Rosegold Version at QVC. The Anya Hindmarch In-Flight Case is also extremely pricey, but it’s guaranteed to impress and will be used and well-loved.
I hope you’re having a great week so far, it’s almost the weekend! In case you’re looking for other ideas at different price points or categories, here’s a list of this year’s gift guides:
