2022

Beauty Essentials to Pack For Your Next Vacation

March 14, 2022

We’re back from another week in Miami and we had such a great time in the sunshine! Today I’m sharing my vacation makeup essentials featuring favorites from Nordstrom. They carry most of my go-to brands and beauty staples. I love browsing their New Beauty Launches on a weekly basis for the latest!

I’m always on the hunt for cute functional makeup bags to take on travel. Stephanie Johnson has some really cute options and I bought the Miami Palm Medium Makeup Bag ($35) and the Zip Around Medium Makeup Bag ($40). (There’s also a Jumbo Size available too).

The zip around case is the perfect size for essentials. Quality is great and they have other prints available too. The flat one is also nice and perfect to hold beach essentials like sunscreen, lip balm, perfume etc. I love the sleek and streamlined design. Also love being able to see inside through the sides since the material is slightly see-through.

Base Essentials

My go-to vacation base combination is the Chanel CC Cream with SPF 50 ($55, I wear 40 Beige), YSL Touche Eclat All-Over Concealer Pen ($38, I wear Shade 3 or 4.5) and the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Filter Powder ($45, Shade Medium is my match). My base rotates depending on season and weather but time after time I keep going back to these 3 staples.

I love the Chanel CC Cream because it has the perfect texture and coverage (I blend it with a sponge) and has a high SPF. It’s one that lasts all day and looks good in photos.

The YSL Touche Eclat ($38) is a nice brightener for under the eyes and works to conceal redness around my nose. I use the classic Touche Eclat most of the time, but they also have a Touche Eclat High Cover version ($38). It has more coverage and in my experience it’s just as good, just more pigmented.

Pressed powders are always the way to go for for travel. I love the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Pressed Powder ($45) in Medium to set, blur and smooth the skin. Two other favorites for blurring powders are the Chantecaille Blur Finishing Powder ($79) or Sisley Blur Expert ($105). Expensive but worth the splurge!

Bronzer, Blush, Highlight

I love trying new bronzers each season. My go-to bronzer of the moment is the Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Luminous Powder in Deep ($58). Anytime someone asks what bronzer I’m wearing it’s this one! For my no-fuss natural looking blush I love the NARS Orgasm Blush ($30) for a pretty flattering soft peachy pink with gold shimmer. The Tom Ford Soleil Highlighting Duo in Reflects Gilt ($89) has been a long-time staple I really love too. I also use this on the eyes sometimes!

Eye Makeup Favorites

For the eyes I think the Tom Ford Eye Color Quad Crème in Tiger Eye ($89) is the perfect palette for a pretty vacation eye look. I brought 3 eye palettes with me on my trip and this was the easiest to use for a quick eye look. My current favorite eyeliners are the Sisley Phyto-Khol Star ($62) in Sparkling Bronze and Black. They have lots of colors and the formula stays put all day (also available in a Matte Version). I always pack the Tom Ford Eye Defining Liquid Pen ($59) for a liquid liner. My favorite mascara right now is the Diorshow Iconic Overcurl ($29.50).

Lip Favorites

For lips I tend to pack way too many lip products even though I usually use 1-2 shades on vacation! I’m all about the shine lipsticks and absolutely love the Sisley Phyto-Rouge Shine ($60) for a hydrating lipstick with a glossy finish. Dior just launched their new Addict Shine Refillable Lipstick ($39) and they have so many good colors. I picked up a few of the neutrals and immediately fell in love with their classic Nude Look 100. They also have a few Couture Cases in Silver, Denim and Pink available separately. You can interchange them which is super cute and fun! (Haul + review on what I picked soon.)

The NARS Afterglow Lip Shine in Orgasm ($26) offers the smoothest finish I’ve tried for a gloss with a pretty peachy pink shine. Love pairing this with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Pencil ($18) in Sun Baked.

Sunscreen, Perfume, Hair

I’m currently testing several new sunscreen formulas and will have a roundup soon. The one I liked the best during my trip was the Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protector Lotion ($49). It has a clear transparent finish (no white cast), has a good dry down, blends in easily and has the longest lasting power on me. It’s easy to reapply without feeling goopy or thick.

My go-to vacation perfume is the Chanel Les Eaux de Chanel in Paris-Riviera ($90 to $140). I have this in both the travel and full size. It’s my most-worn scent these days and it’s Andrew’s favorite on me! I also adore the Tom Ford Soleil Blanc in the Shimmering Body Oil (love the mini sized duo).

I’ve started to get into scrunchies for hair accessories and splurged on this chic Saint Lauren Bandana Scrunchie. Spendy but I love it. Lots of other cute Hair Accessories at Nordstrom that are more affordable in hair clips, scrunchies, scarfs and more.

For hair styling products I found the dpHUE Color Fresh Leave-In Conditioner ($28) to be the best multi-tasker for me. It worked to detangle, condition and smooth the hair while doubling as a good heat protectant for my hair dryer.

You can find all of my favorites at Nordstrom.

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Many thanks to Nordstrom for partnering to sponsor this post. As always all opinions are my own.

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Beauty Favorites

Recent Hits and Misses

March 11, 2022

Sharing a roundup of some recent beauty hits and misses from things I’ve been trying lately! I rediscovered some older favorites on my recent trip and also put some new beauty buys to the test. Thought it would be fun to share them with you!

I used the Chanel CC Cream the entire week we were in Miami. I’ve loved it for years (original review here)! It has high SPF and great natural looking coverage. Love that it lasts all day on me and evens out the skin nicely. It’s one I keep going back to even though I try to rotate and incorporate other formulas into my routine. I love it. Highly recommend.

For the complexion I repurchased a few of the NARS Liquid Blushes (original review here, time flies!). I’ve been loving the Liquid Blush in Orgasm and it’s just as good as I remember. These work well alone or layered under a powder blush. Pigment is excellent and easy to blend. A little goes a long way.

Bronzer-wise I have been loving the Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Luminous Powder in Medium-Deep or Deep for a subtle luminous glow. Since these powders are more skin-tone colored (versus a cool or warm bronzer) I find them really natural on the skin. You won’t see any greyish or orangey undertone. Color is natural and buildable. They have a very subtle luminosity to them which makes the skin glow without any harsh shimmer.

For the lips I’ve been loving the Naturium Phyto-Glow Lip Balm* (available at Naturium and Target). These come in a clear option and tinted versions as well. I brought the clear with me on my trip and love the thick lush formula. It has a really nice cooling tip applicator (similar to the Hourglass Lip Oils). It’s hydrating, comfortable and smooth.

Also obsessed with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Liner in Sun Baked + Lipstick in Peach Bud combo for the perfect medium peachy lip (swatches here). I just reviewed the new Sisley Phyto Rouge Shine and my favorites are Sheer Blossom and Petal. In case you missed it you can see them in action on my latest Reel too!

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Another lip combo I’ve been loving is the Tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip Color in Bloom (new shade at Tarte) on top of the Makeup By Mario Ultra Suede Sculpting Lip Pencil in Johnny. The lip pencil is the perfect medium pink rose color I feel like I’ve been searching for my whole life. It’s close to my natural lip color just a little more pink. Topping it with any light pink color gives the perfect juicy glossy pink lip.

The eyeshadow palette that has been getting me the most compliments lately is the Tarte Leave Your Mark Eyeshadow Palette. It’s a nice one for any beachy vacation! Or even for everyday wear. It’s a softer glowy and less glitzy version of the Patrick TA Major Dimension Palette (at least in my eyes). Colors are soft and easy to layer. I think they’re no-fuss colors for a good eye look. (I just ordered the Leave Your Mark VII which is deeper and peachier.)

I tried Skylar perfumes at Sephora while on my trip and really fell in love with a few of them, in particular Salt Air and the Vanilla Sky. I decided to buy the Discovery Sampler Set first before committing to one. They’re fresh and clean smelling. I am definitely buying Salt Air. Trying to decide on one more too.

I’ve been searching for a more affordable body wash that I really love. All the ones I like tend to be on the spendy side. Naturium sent a package of skincare for me to try and I’ve been really loving all of their body washes. Still working my way through the different formulas but my favorite is the Glow Getter Multi-Oil Body Wash*. It’s an oil-to-gel formula with a decent lather and hydrating formula. It’s nicely moisturizing but doesn’t leave any film or residue on the skin like a lot of hydrating body washes. A solid win and I’m 100% repurchasing this when it’s used up.

Still loving the Oribe Hair Alchemy* line for their Strengthening Shampoo and Conditioner. I brought these with me on my vacation and even though it took up extra space it was 100% worth bringing.

A hair care line that just popped on my radar is Michael Van Clarke. It’s one that’s new to me and I have fallen head over heels in love with their No 1 Brush*. It truly is a game changer for brushing and smoothing the hair. It has different levels/sizes of flexible nylon bristles within the brush to detangle, fluff and brush out the hair smoothly. I want the travel size for my purse or for travel too. You can find it online at their website Michael Van Clarke.

I splurged on a Celine Comb at the Miami Design District. It was crazy expensive but I love it. It’s so chic! Full Celine haul on reels too.

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Last we have some misses for me. I tried some new things at Sephora, all of which had mixed reviews. Makeup by Mario launched new Ultra Suede Cozy Lip Cremes and I bought two shades he launched first (new ones were just added today). I have Nude Suede and Pinky Brown. Formula is ok, I would say it’s true to the description. Whipped matte lips often are challenging for me because the colors look dusty and lifeless on me. Colors were a fail on my lip and skin tone. There’s not enough warmth in these two shades so I look like a corpse with these. I don’t think I’ll check out the other colors.

I also had high hopes for the Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Glossy Nourishing Anti-Frizz Hair Oil as I’m a huge fan of the scent and have loved everything from the line. The formula is ultra thick, almost goopy. I showed a preview on stories and dozens of you messaged me saying it was a miss. It is indeed VERY thick and heavy. Even one tiny drop is thick – I had to wipe off most of the excess on a paper towel before applying to my hair. A review at Sephora describes it like olive oil for the hair and I think that description is spot on. I did try it and it worked well on my hair. But the consistency and fact that I have to wipe off product on a paper towel makes it too high maintenance for me to be willing to use. So this is a miss for me too.

Last miss for me is sadly the new Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinimide Sunscreen with SPF 50. I had such high hopes for this one! The packaging is excellent and I love the dispenser at the tip. I tried this on bare skin and also on top of one of the Glow Recipe serums. I really wanted to love it but it pilled like crazy as I blended it into the skin. Some areas I was able to blend it in, but I had patches of white peeling product on different areas. Even after I tried to fix it Andrew told me it looked terrible and that I should wash my face immediately. Was really sad about it because the texture felt nice, scent wasn’t too strong and my face actually felt nice. But the pilling is a major deal breaker. This one is going back.

That wraps up my recent beauty hits and misses! We just got back from our Miami trip so I will be getting back to work ASAP! I have lots to share with you in the next week.

What have you been loving lately? Any misses for you?

Press samples have a * next to them. All others purchased by me.

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Lips Sisley-Paris

Sisley Phyto-Rouge Shine Refillable Lipstick Review

March 7, 2022

Sisley launched their new Phyto-Rouge Shine Lipsticks ($60, refills are $48) and I have six to share swatches of today. I’m always excited for Sisley newness and I was thrilled to see new spring colors for lips in a shine formula (I’m all about a glossy lip!). The Phyto-Rouge Shine Lipsticks are extremely steep in price at $60 each. They are refillable with the refills being $48 each (still very spendy). I think these are the best shine lipsticks I’ve ever tried.

The Phyto-Rouge Shine Lipsticks have medium buildable coverage. I think the color payoff is exceptionally good for a shine lipstick. These feel very comfortable on the lips. They’re like a balm + lipstick + gloss hybrid in one. They glide perfectly on the lips and the texture is perfect: smooth, creamy, not too soft, not too thick, perfectly hydrating. There is a subtle sweet vanilla like scent.

Lips feel smooth and hydrated with these. There is a slight plumping effect with the shine and hydration but it doesn’t feel like a plumping lip product.

The Sisley team kindly sent four to review. I purchased two more. The colors are flawless straight out of the tube. I couldn’t ask for more in a shine lipstick formula. Lasting power is pretty good for a shine lipstick. It won’t be super long wearing as it is a glossy finish but it’s a lipstick I don’t mind reapplying throughout the day.

10 Sheer Nude is a sheer light nude pink with a subtle sparkle, coverage is impressive for a nude this light in color (a lot of colors like this are either too pale or too sheer on me, but this one is perfect!)
11 Sheer Blossom is a warm cream pink with a hint of peach
20 Sheer Petal is a perfect pink cream
21 Sheer Rosewood is a pretty rose pink with a slight shimmer
22 Sheer Raspberry is a perfect raspberry pink with a subtle silver shimmer
40 Sheer Cherry is the perfect true cherry red with shimmer

Below wearing:

Foundation Sisley Phyto-Teint Nude Foundation 3W1 (review here)
Concealer YSL Touche Eclat High Cover in Shade 3
Powder Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Pressed Powder in 2 Medium
Bronzer Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Luminous Powder in Deep
Blush Laura Mercier Powder Blush in Peach + Ginger mixed
Eyeshadow Natasha Denona Mini Nude Eyeshadow Palette (review here)
Eyeliner Tom Ford Liquid Eyeliner
Mascara Urban Decay Wild Lash Mascara
Nail Polish Essie Day Drift Away

Every single color I tried is perfect. It’s hard to pick a favorite although I love Sheer Blossom and Petal – I love the pink tones! I think I have a good color selection right now although I have been eyeing the Sheer Cocoa and Coral colors. I decided to wait and splurge on some of the new Chanel Rouge Allure L’Extrait Lipsticks (review coming soon).

Have you tried the new Sisley Phyto-Rouge Shine? Available at Sisley, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and all other Sisley retailers. Are you team shine or team matte when it comes to lips?

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Four of the Sisley Phyto-Rouge Shine Lipsticks provided for review. Two purchased by me.

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Chanel Lips

Chanel La Comete for Spring 2022

March 1, 2022

I have a look at the Chanel La Comete Collection for spring today! Chanel launched eight new shades of the Rouge Allure Velvet ($42) lipsticks and two new Blush Comete ($70) shades, all available now online at Chanel.com.

New Rouge Allure Velvet La Comete

The new Rouge Allure Velvet La Comete lipsticks are beautiful! Most of them far surpassed my expectations. They’re a smooth, weightless luminous matte with a slight hint of shimmer. Pigment is medium but layerable. I like all of them all with the exception of one shade which I found terribly patchy. The colors have a classic vibe, some may feel they’re more fall-winter colors. I do think there are a few that are neutral-enough to wear year round. The bolds are more classic colors I think you can wear for date nights, or if bolds are more your style.

These come packaged in the classic Rouge Allure lipstick case but the ends have an embossed star which is supposed to be the good luck symbol for Gabrielle Chanel.

On the arms/hands the pearlescent quality is more noticeable, but on the lips the shimmer translates into a subtle luminous quality – not really shimmery, but not fully matte either.

108 Terre D’Etoiles is a gorgeous wearable brown pink
118 Bois de Rose Astral is the perfect kind of medium rose pink I’ve been looking for for AGES!
128 Rose Eclatant is an electric warm red
138 Rouge Vie Radiant is a deeper red with cool tones
148 Rouge Cosmique is a classic red
158 Brun Solaire is a red brown
168 Pourpre Etoile is a plum
178 Brun Celeste is a sheer blackened plum with silver sparkle, this is the only one I found patchy

Lip swatches below of each color on bare lips, also wearing:

Foundation – Chanel No 1 de Chanel Revitalizing Foundation in B40 (review of BD41 here)
Powder – Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder in N 20 + 30 mixed
Blush – Chanel Blush Comete in Peche Cosmique and Corail Etoile layered
Eyeshadow – Natasha Denona Mini Nude Palette (swatches + review here)
Eyeliner – Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof in Ebene
Mascara – Chanel Le Volume de Chanel

Blush Comete

Next we have a look at the two Blush Comete Soft Glow Blushes. They have a stripe embossed texture and a star on the surface. It’s not quite an overspray because it takes a few uses and brush swipes before the star design disappears. I really loved the texture and finish of these! On my medium tan skin tone Peche Cosmique is almost a highlighter, it’s pale on my skin and adds a soft diffused pale glow. Corail Etoile is a pink coral with a subtle shimmer to it. Both have a subtle sheen but they aren’t frosty or too shimmery.

Swatches of the whole collection below

Bottom line: Excellent quality, beautiful colors, lovely textures. Solid A+ (except for one of the lipsticks). That being said there are lots of new launches coming out, the new Rouge Allure L’Extrait Lipsticks just launched online and I’m excited to try the new formula! Colors look brighter and more spring-summer like to me.

Have you tried anything from the Chanel La Comete line? What did you think? Available at Chanel.com.

Chanel La Comete Rouge Allure Velvet lipsticks provided for review. Blush Cometes purchased by me.

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Anastasia Beverly Hills Lips

New Anastasia Beverly Hills Lipsticks and Lip Liners

February 27, 2022

Anastasia Beverly Hills launched new Satin Velvet Lipsticks ($23 each) and Lip Pencils ($18 each) and they looked so beautiful on Instagram I couldn’t help but order a bunch to try. It’s been a while since I’ve tried any of her lipsticks since I only remember her launching mattes in the past. This round she has a new Satin Velvet Lipstick formula which is more like a regular lipstick. Her Lip Liners looked promising, and I love the square shape! I hauled 6 of each. Here are my thoughts, swatches and lip looks.

Satin Lipsticks

Satin Velvet Lipstick ($23 each) is more like a satin lipstick. It’s not really that velvety to me and I am 100% ok with that. They’re ultra pigmented, smooth, creamy and have great lasting power. (I still like to use a lip primer underneath to smooth/prep the lips like the MAC Prep and Prime Lip.)

Formula is really good and I love the sleek slim no-fuss packaging. Color selection seems pretty good too although with nudes and neutrals it’s always hard to see how it will look on the lips. A few of these were misses for me simply because the color doesn’t work for my skin tone or lip tone.

Tease is pale pink peach and looks like washed out death on me, would probably work if I paired it with a liner and gloss (similar to Tom Ford Blush Nude on me which looks great on so many others, but not me)
Warm Peach is a light warm peach orange, also a bit pale for me on its own, but if I add a brown liner I can make it owkr
Peach Bud is my favorite, it’s the perfect mix of peach and pink
Praline is an easy to wear neutral nude on my lips
Dusty Rose is a light rose neutral, goes on my lips lighter than what I see in the tube, but if you don’t have pigmented or brown tones in your lip, then this will look more true to tube
Taupe Beige is a neutral cool-toned pink beige

Beauty Look breakdown wearing:

Foundation Cle de Peau Radiant Fluid Foundation in O40
Powder Rare Beauty Always an Optimist Powder in Light Medium
Blush Anastasia Beverly Hills Stick Cream Blush in Peachy Keen
Highlight Fenty Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter in Afternoon Snack/Mo Hunny
Eyeshadow Anastasia Beverly Hills Eyeshadow Palette in Sultry (discontinued)
Mascara Gucci Mascara L’Obscur
Nails OPI Lisbon Wants Moor Opi
Top Citizens of Humanity Scarlett Rib Henley

Lip Liner

The Lip Liners ($18 each) are your basic everyday lip pencil. I like that they’re not too creamy and not too stiff. They do tug a little but it’s not so matte that it drags. I’m still in the process of testing different combinations but I swatched them on their own below on the lips so you could see the color.

Baby Roses is actually a wearable pale peach on me! I was worried it would be too pale, but it works on me!
Hazelnut is a cool-toned brown (not my color, but looks pretty in the arm swatch)
Deep Taupe is a deeper cool-toned brown
Warm Taupe is a warmer taupe brown
Sunbaked is an interesting peach, warm but not orange, I love it!
Dusty Rose is a deep plum rose brown

Overall I think they’re all worth checking out. After testing what I ordered and looking at other reviews I would have probably skipped the lipsticks in Tease and Warm Peach and opted for the Soft Brown or Rosy Brown instead.

They do appear to be permanent which is nice (even though some of the colors keep selling out). I still have some more lipstick reviews coming soon for the new Sisley Phyto-Rouge Shine, Natasha Denona I Need a Rose, Chanel La Comete and Hermes Shine lipsticks! So stay tuned!

Have you tried the Anastasia Beverly Hills lipsticks and liners yet? What did you think?

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Available at Sephora. Also available at Nordstrom.

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Hauls Sephora

Spring Beauty Newness at Sephora

February 24, 2022

There are lots of new beauty launches at Sephora and I have a haul roundup review of what I’ve tried and loved. If you’re not a Beauty Insider yet I highly recommend doing so! It’s free to sign up and opens access to a lot of benefits like free samples, early access to new launches and events and more! You can sign up here. You can also receive free shipping on all orders with code FREESHIP.

New Kosas

Kosas Revealer Skin Improving Foundation ($42, available in 36 colors) is a new foundation with skincare and SPF25. It has medium natural looking coverage with a dewy finish. It has ingredients to improve and brighten skin tone over time. My match is Medium Neutral Warm 230. I pair it with the Revealer Super Creamy Concealer ($28) in Tone 05 for concealing and brightening and top it with the Cloud Set Baked Setting Powder in Comfy to set. So far I love the finish, coverage and wear!

Rare Beauty

The Rare Beauty Always an Optimist Soft Radiance Setting Powder ($22) in Light Medium is one of my favorite purchases this year. It’s a great soft setting powder that looks natural and lasts all day. I also ordered the Always An Optimist Powder Brush ($28) and love how soft it is! Highly recommend!

The Rare Beauty Warm Wishes Effortless Bronzer Stick ($23) are 100% worth tracking down (they keep selling out, but you can add your email to their website for the restock alert). I have two shades in Happy Sol and Always Sunny and love these. They have an easy to blend creamy texture and look natural on the skin. Below wearing Always Sunny. I use these as a bronzer or contour.

Patrick Ta Beauty Newness

Next we have some newness from Patrick Ta. The Major Beauty Headlines Double-Take Crème and Powder Blush ($34 each) are really good! I picked two to try in She’s Blushing (beige pink brown) and She’s That Girl (pink tones). I love the formula and packaging (cream has a cover protector inside)! Colors are super flattering, texture is divine, I want to check out more colors.

Another new launch is the Patrick Ta Major Volume Plumping Lip Gloss ($24 each). These are beautiful plumping glosses without the sharp tingle (I feel like the tingle is mild on these). The shine is really pretty. They have a cinnamon almost ginger like scent to them. I like 2 CC’s the best (warm pink) but they’re really all good.

Left to right: Pouty (clear sheer pale pink), Superficial (beige), 2 CCs (warm pink)

Tom Ford Bitter Peach

Always excited for Tom Ford Beauty newness so I had to try the Bitter Peach Eyeshadow Quad in Belle de Peche ($89) and Bitter Peach Lip Color Matte ($58) in Cherie. The quad has a unique texture, almost like a stiff creme-matte formula. It’s different from any of their other quads so formula might not be everyone’s cup of tea. I love it though. The peach tones are soft and muted but pigment definitely shows up on the eyes. The look is tied together with a dark brown liner for me.

The Lip Color in Cherie couldn’t be more perfect for me. I love the neutral peach pink tones!

Lawless Plumping Lip Gloses

The Lawless Forget the Filler Lip Plumping Line Smoothing Glosses have been on my radar for a while so I decided to give them a try. These are thick high shine glosses with a plumping effect. My favorite so far is George which a pretty cool-toned brown mauve, I also love Glazed.

New Hair Care Loves

Last a look at some hair care and skin care items I’ve tried and loved. dpHUE launched an entire line of Color Fresh styling products and I’ve been slowly working my way through testing them. So far I like the Color Fresh Leave-In Conditioner Mist ($28) the best. It’s a lightweight spray on conditioner treatment you leave on. Multitasks to detangle, protect and prime the hair. Leaves my hair smooth and fresh looking after a blow out. Also smells amazing!

My favorite dry shampoo of the moment is the Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Advanced Clean Dry Shampoo ($30) to absorb excess oil and refresh the hair in between washes.

Oribe’s Hair Alchemy Line is a new launch and I love it to strengthen the hair. I’ve been loving the Hair Alchemy Strengthening Treatment Serum* ($64) for a good styling product that doesn’t weigh down the hair. I use it on damp hair before using heat tools to smooth and protect the hair.

The Color Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray ($12 to $58) is one of the best anti-frizz treatments I’ve tried. I plan on ordering the mini to take on travel with me. It coats the hair evenly to help smooth out the hair and block humidity. They recommend using every 3-4 shampoos (I’ll use it once a week). 100% lives up to the hype for me.

Skincare Highlights

I love a good clarifying cleanser and the Glamglow Supersmooth Acne Clearing Mask to Scrub ($34) is a newer one I really love. It’s a great detox cleanser to clear out pores without stripping the skin. Contains salicylic acid, charcoal, kaolin clay and silica beads. It reminds me of the Jack Black Deep Dive Glycolic Facial Cleanser where you can also leave it on to use as a mask (just with different ingredients).

The Supergoop! Daily Dose Hydra-Ceramide Boost SPF 40* ($46) is another winner for me. I use it in place of moisturizer and apply to clean skin. My makeup layered well on top and you can also layer their Unseen Sunscreen on top as well if you want. I used the oil on my recent getaway trip every day we were away and it was effective and didn’t irritate my skin.

That wraps up my Sephora haul! If you’ve been curious about any of these new launches I hope this roundup review helps you decide on what to try!

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Sponsored by Sephora. As always all opinions my own. Press samples have a * next to them, all other items purchased by me.

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Florida Travel

Miami Getaway

February 23, 2022

We took a few days off for a much-needed getaway in Miami! We always have fun in South Beach and love the beaches, great shopping and food. I’m already planning our next trip and hopefully we will be able to stay longer next time! Here were the highlights!

Where We Stayed

Andrew picked out our hotel this trip and he booked us a room at The Goodtime Hotel. We absolutely loved it! We stayed in one of the Queen Ocean View rooms and it was so cute. On the small side, but rooms have a well thought out floor plan and we loved the location. It was further south from the hotels we’ve usually stayed in and it was perfect. Less traffic, not as busy and perfect walking distance to the beach and restaurants we love. Parking is expensive but we luckily found a garage right next to the hotel for a lower rate.

This was probably one of my favorite hotels in Miami! They do have a cute common area they call the “Library” for guest to relax or work. Their restaurant is by the pool called Strawberry Moon and it was delicious.

TOP Reformation / SHORTS L’Agence (also packed similar ones from Agolde) / TOTE Loewe / HAT Rag and Bone / SANDALS Tory Burch

Other hotels we’ve stayed include Royal Palm, Loews Miami, The Edition South Beach, East Miami and a few other smaller boutique hotels. I really loved the Edition Hotel and would love to go back (but it’s on the pricey side). East Miami is gorgeous but located in Brickell (downtown) so it’s farther from the beach. Both Andrew and I have had a great experience at each one. We try to pick a different one each time, but we both agreed hands down we’d go back to The Goodtime Hotel again.

What I Packed

We both packed our Away Carry-On suitcases (I packed the Original Carry-On in Blush, Andrew packed the Bigger Carry-On in White) plus a travel bag for each of us. Andrew still uses his Everywhere Bag and it’s held up so well over the years. I used the Weekender (larger, discontinued). If you’re looking for luggage I still highly recommend Away. If you click on my PACKING tag you’ll see reviews of multiple sizes, what I packed on past trips and what I recommend for travel.

You can tap each icon to shop what I packed

Beauty Packing

For beauty I brought 4 pouches/bags. I like to have multiple cases to keep things separated and organized for easy access. I packed the Daily Edited Clear Travel Case (pale pink) to carry makeup (mine is the older design, review here). I also usually bring an empty cosmetic pouch or case with me so I can use it during the trip on-the-go and packed one of The Daily Edited Small Cosmetic Cases.

I’m still a lover of Truffle bags as well. I was finally able to use the Clarity Jumbo Train Case* they gifted me last year and it was perfect for my skincare and hair care. I packed a lot of skincare, sunscreen, cleansers and my own Oribe Shampoo and Conditioner*. Everytime I skip bringing my own hair care I always regret it. This trip I didn’t bring my own hair dryer and it’s something I’ll never do again. I’ve been spoiled with my Dyson and sometimes I don’t fully appreciate it until I have to use something else. I never want to be without it.

For makeup brushes I usually grab my favorites and throw them into one of the Truffle Clarity Jetsets. I bought this one myself the first year we moved to Florida back in 2017 and it’s held up so well.

Makeup-wise I pretty much put the same products on my face everyday. You can see my vacation makeup in this Reel linked below. I wore the Patrick Ta Major Dimension Palette everyday (swatches here, it’s still in my top 5), love the Sisley Bronzer and Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Powders and also the Les Eaux de Chanel Riviera perfume. For lips I really loved the Chanel Rouge Coco Baumes for spring-summer (my fav is Flirty Coral) and the Blush Lumiere in Peche Rosee (all swatched here). I also am still obsessed with the Tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip Balms!

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Where We Ate

There is so much to explore food-wise in Miami and I have a long list of places to try. With so many people visiting Florida, Miami has become busier compared to our last two visits. I did not make reservations because last year we didn’t need any. This trip all of the places on my list were fully booked. We still had a lot of fun and tried some new eats!

Our must-visits are always Joe’s Stone Crab (I love the crab cakes and chocolate chip angel food cake, it comes with a side of the most amazing chocolate mousse), the Salty Donut and Zak the Baker.

We also tried Strawberry Moon for breakfast (loved), Sorbillo for pizza (was pretty good, but will try a different pizza place next time), Joey’s in Wynwood (love) and Big Pink (super fun diner place).

Fun Stuff

We try to go to at least one museum or exhibit each time we’re in town. The Van Gogh Immersive Exhibit is still in Miami and if they have an exhibit in your city I highly recommend checking it out! It takes about an hour depending and I loved how they brought a lot of his paintings to life in an immersive experience.

We also love relaxing at the beach or pool. It doesn’t feel like a vacation without beach time! There’s so much fun people watching! While our hotel wasn’t on the beach, they did have a designated beach area with umbrellas and lounge chairs. Depending on how busy it is you can sometimes rent umbrellas and chairs even if you’re not staying at the hotel.

I could spend days shopping and window shopping but a lot of the malls are spread out, so I try to pick just 1 or 2 areas to explore. We went to the Miami Design District and I splurged on some wishlist items I had from Loewe including the Mini Puzzle Bag (also available at places like Neimans, Net-a-Porter and Nordstrom), the new shine lipsticks from Hermes and a new pair of sandals.

Do you have any Miami favorites? Would love to hear recommendations on hotels or places to eat if you have any!

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