Merry Christmas! Wishing you all a wonderful holiday with lots of love from Ollie, Kitty, Andrew and me! This is Kitty’s 11th Christmas and Ollie’s 2nd. Thank you for following along on my beauty journey. Thankful for all of you.
Sephora’s Fragrance For All Event is here with 20% off full-size fragrances for Beauty Insiders! The event runs through 12/24 with code FRAGRANCE20 at checkout (one-time use). They carry a wide range of perfume brands so if there’s something you wanted to try or stock up on this is a great time to save! Some exclusions apply. If you’re not a member you can sign up for free here.
Scent is seasonal for me so I rotate depending on time of year, but here are few that I really love.
Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt is my go-to for the best year round scent. It’s the best earthy woody scent with ambrette seeds, sea salt and sage. Nothing else compares and I love that it can also be unisex.
Wearing:
- Foundation – Armani Luminous Silk Foundation 6.5
- Powder – Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Powder in Medium
- Blush – Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks in Petal
- Highlighter – Tom Ford Soleil Neige Highlighter Gran Paradis
- Eyeshadow – Pat McGrath Bronze Ecstasy
- Lip Combo – Fenty Gloss Bomb in Champ Stamp Fantasy
You girls know my love for Phlur and I would say my most reached-for scents are from this line. Missing Person is the best skin-like musk scent. It’s warm, cozy, skin-like with a tiny bit of spice. It has a soothing comforting feel to me with white musk, bergamot, blonde wood, orange blossom, jasmine.
Phlur Somebody Wood is another one I love for a warm cozy sandalwood amber musk mix. I like layering this with Missing Person, but it’s great on its own too.
The Phlur Skin, Hair and Body Mists are beautiful. I think Vanilla Skin is one of the best cozy vanillas ever made. It’s sweet but not too sweet. Has a soft warm feel I think I could definitely wear year round.
For date-night spicy scents, I think Viktor and Rolf’s Flowerbomb and YSL Libre are the best ones. I just tried the Libre Absolu Platine which has a fresh floral vibe to it (really pretty).
The Sephora Fragrance For All Events runs now through 12/24 for Beauty Insiders. If you’re not a member yet you can sign up for free here! Use code FRAGRANCE20 at checkout for 20% off full-sized perfumes!
If you’re shopping for last minute gifts they are offering same day delivery for select areas with Free Same-Day Delivery using code GETGIFTS (for beauty insiders only, ends 12/24 at 12pm PT.)
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Sponsored by Sephora.
We have one week before Christmas and I am so excited to share a look at some exquisite last minute gift ideas from Guerlain. They sent over a few things to try, all of which I think would make an exceptionally beautiful gift whether you’re looking to treat yourself or a perfume lover. I’ve ordered several things from Guerlain in the past year, and they always come beautifully boxed and wrapped.
For last minute gifts they are offering complimentary express shipping on all orders now through 12/21 and also offering a 4-piece Abeille Royale Gift Set on orders $200+ with code HOLIDAY2023.
Skincare Sets
For the skincare lover they have quite a few Abeille Royale Skincare Sets this year. If you love the Watery Youth Oil they have it in multiple sets, some come with cute makeup bags. The Honey Care Ritual Set ($195) has a full-size oil along with a small Abeille Royale Eye Cream and KissKiss Bee Balm in 258 Rose Glow (a pretty pink). This one comes in a boxed set.
Perfume Discovery Sets
I love perfume discovery sets and I think they make great gifts. They’re the perfect way to try on different scents at your own pace at home.
This year they have a few different perfume discovery sets for their L’Art and La Matiere perfume line. I bought one a few years ago and I absolutely loved it. I ended up splitting the set up among friends to try and sample. Guerlain perfumes are among the best in terms of quality and lasting power with a unique mix of options.
above: Floral Harmony Perfumer’s Set
They launched their Perfumer’s Set in two variations: the Iconic Harmony and Floral Harmony ($380 each). A lot of you have been asking for recommendations on floral perfumes and the Floral Harmony Set is a beautiful option to try and find your perfect floral. The set contains Neroli Outrenoir, Musc Outreblanc, Rose Cherie, Rose Barbare, Cruel Gardenia, Angelique Noire, Herbes Troublantes, Joyeuse Tuberuse.
I’ve already found 2 that I have on my wishlist for my next splurge. I’ve tried Musc Outreblanc a few times and love it for the soft clean skin like musk scent that has long lasting power. The Neroli Outrenoir and Herbes Troublantes are also both beautiful.
If you like a more diverse range of notes the Iconic Harmony is a great option. It has their Spiritueuse Double Vanille (one of the best vanillas I’ve tried) along with some of their other classics. It also has that Musc Outreblanc I love.
Their Hive of Wonders Advent Calendar ($720) is one of the most beautiful advent calendars out there. It has a mix of perfumes, mini candles, soaps, skincare and a few other things. All boxed up in a super chic bee hive. If you’re looking for the ULTIMATE splurge gift for the beauty lover, I can’t think of anything more luxurious than one these advent calendar gifts.
Perfume and Scented Options
The L’Art and La Matiere collection is absolutely beautiful. In my years of trying fragrances, I feel like there are few perfume lines that feel as luxurious as Guerlain’s. When you smell the line you can really tell the difference in quality of ingredients and the throw/ lasting power is very VERY good.
I’ve been really curious about the Les Matieres Confidentielles line of Eau de Toilettes and my first experience is Eau de Coton ($180). It’s a fresh powdery velvety citrus. There is a hint of soft musk. I think it’s going to make a nice layering scent. On it’s own it smells like fresh cotton with a soft and airy feel. Notes include orange blossom, almond, musk.
Guerlain also has a full line of candles and diffusers. I know buying scents blind can be tricky but the Figue Azur Scented Diffuser ($130) is the most exquisite fig scent I’ve ever smelled. It’s sweet, fresh and green in a bright way. The throw on this diffuser is very strong. This one is quite the splurge but if you’re looking for a diffuser that will fill the entire room and one that looks beautiful too, this is something I think you will really love. I have my eye on one of the candles to try, Palais D’Orangers or Figue Azur both sound beautiful. (Candles are refillable.)
Available at Guerlain. There is still time for last minute gifts as they are offering complimentary express shipping on all orders now through 12/21 and also offering a 4-piece Abeille Royale Gift Set on orders $200+ with code HOLIDAY2023 (while supplies last).
If you’re looking for some last minute gifts I hope you found this roundup helpful!
Guerlain items gifted for review consideration.
Dior added new shades of the Addict Lip Maximizer ($40) and as a huge fan of the formula I ordered them immediately in 065 Icy Blue, 066 Shimmer Candy and 067 Shimmer Rose Gold. You can see them in action here. Available at Dior and Sephora.
I also added swatches and lip swatches of the three that launched in the fall 049 Pure Copper, 050 Holo Silver and 051 Nude Bloom so I could do a comprehensive post (these are also swatched in action here).
Icy Blue
065 Icy Blue is a sheer milky pale blue. I thought it would be fun to try something a little more trendy. Based on the feedback on my swatch session here half of you love it, the other half do not. I think it’s really fun but it’s not really flattering on my lip/skin tone.
Look also wearing:
- Foundation – Laura Mercier Real Flawless Foundation 3W0 Sandstone
- Powder – Givenchy Prisme Libre Shade 3
- Bronzer – Rare Beauty Warm Wishes Bronzer Always Sunny
- Eyeshadow – Natasha Denona Mini Starlette Palette
- Mascara – YSL Lash Clash
Shimmer Candy
066 Shimmer Candy was the shade I was most excited for but it’s a very frosty pale pink. Almost looks like a pale off white shimmer on my lips giving that 80s/90s vibe but not in a good way. It does work beautifully on top of a bright lip to add dimension.
Shimmer Rose Gold
067 Shimmer Rose Gold is probably my favorite of the three new holiday shades. It’s also very metallic, almost duo chrome but it doesn’t pull as frosty as the pink one.
The three that launched in September are much better and easier to wear I my opinion.
Pure Copper
049 Pure Copper is a stunning bronzey sparkle with different colored flecks. It is very similar to Shimmer Hazelnut so if you already own it you can probably skip this one.
Holo Silver
050 Holo Silver is a clear base loaded with silver and blue sparkles. I love the dimension in this, I think it’s beautiful alone or on top of another lip color. Photos in person do not do it justice!
Nude Bloom
051 Nude Bloom is my favorite. It has a peachy pink base with some ultra fine gold shimmer mixed in. It’s just SO beautiful. I bought a back up just in case it’s limited-edition. If you like Rosewood (more pink rose) I think you’ll love Nude Bloom which is a peachy shimmer version.
Overall love the fall shades Pure Copper, Holo Silver and Nude Bloom. Also really like the Shimmer Rose Gold. If I had been able to swatch or see the other two shades in person I would have passed.
If you had your eye on any of these, I hope you find these swatches helpful!
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hoodie / sweatshirt / vest / baseball hat / ear buds / travel bag / manicure kit / creed discovery set / creed leather bag / lip balm set / navy travel case / beanie / body wash trio / manscaped tool / refillable fragrance atomizers / electric face shaver / body shaver
Christmas is only a couple weeks away and if you’re looking for last minute gift ideas for the guys I’ve rounded up some of Andrew’s grooming favorites and things I am gifting him this year.
So many of you have asked for tips and ideas on how to get the guys in your life to up their grooming game. I highly recommend looking at the gift sets from Jack Black and Kiehl’s. I am so glad Andrew is a well-groomed man and has been since I met him when we were in our 20s!
My number one tip is to buy him a few simple sets with multi-taskers and replace (or rather REMOVE) his bar soap from the shower and put the sets front and center on the counter, near the shower or bath – pretty much right in front of him.
The Jack Black Turbo Wash is the best thing I think you can gift any guy in your life. They can use it on hair and body, so it’s two in one. Andrew uses it to wash his face too. (I actually borrow Andrew’s all the time because it’s the best at removing sunscreen.) Love this Body Best Sellers Set – Andrew picked it up during our travels so he could use them during our trip.
They have tons of body care sets, shaving sets, sets with a little bit of everything. Andrew has tried almost everything from the line. Even the lip balms. He also likes the Deep Dive Glycolic Facial Cleanser (doubles as a mask), Supreme Clean Shaving Cream and moisturizer – all found in the Carry On Essentials Set ($30).
Kiehl’s also has great products for the guys. The Energizing Essentials Kit is a great place to start and they have a bar soap that exfoliates too (it’s not your average bar soap).
For grooming tools I bought Andrew his own cuticle nail care set from Zwilling several years ago and he uses it all the time. I love the look of this one from Zwilling for travel (I just ordered it for him). He’s tried a lot of shaving tools and really loves the Braun Body Groomer. For an electric face shaver he really likes the Braun Electric Series 3 Razor. He also has used and likes the Manscaped Lawn Mower 4.0.
I know cologne and fragrance can be very personal but Creed makes some great discovery sets and in my opinion they make the best of the best. They have several different variations like the 3-piece discovery set or 5-piece discovery set. Andrew has a blue refillable atomizer which he really loves and brings with him every trip we go on. I just ordered him a grey one (new color) because he likes to wear a few different scents so now he will have two. His favorite scent is Aventus.
For clothes we’ve been really impressed with Vuori. The quality is great, styles are modern and the fit/cuts are very good and they’re comfortable without looking too casual. What Andrew likes the best about their tops and sweatshirts is they hold their shape really well, even during workouts and with sweat. We were able to see everything in person at the Vuori store in Miami. They have a lot of things on sale on their site right now. He loves the Tradewind Performance Tee. The Strato Tech Tee is super soft (I wish they made it in women’s sizes). He also bought some hoodies and joggers.
A few other fun gift ideas include dopp kits or travel bags from Away. I’ve bought Andrew so many travel cases over the years. He says the best one is the Away Large Toiletry Bag and it’s the one he’s been using on our trips. We’ve had the Everywhere Bag for several years now and we both use ours to this day. They’ve added other sizes and styles to pick from.
We saw some new leather goods at the Creed Boutique in Miami and they are quite the splurge but Andrew fell in love with the small case. I’m ordering it for him for Christmas.
If you’re looking for gift ideas for the guys in your life I hope you found this roundup helpful! I think any of these would suit a wide range of ages and styles.
For holiday Victoria Beckham Beauty launched a limited-edition set called VB’s Finishing Touch Collection ($150) with 5 full sized items in a roll up tie-pouch. I’ve really loved a lot of what I’ve tried from her beauty line! This holiday set had products and colors I haven’t tried yet so I was really excited to order this.
Inside we have:
- Posh Gloss in Martini (new, sheer glittering champagne)
- Satin Kajal Liner in Olive
- EyeWear Shadow Stick in Oyster
- Reflect Highlighter in Pearl
- Double-sided compact mirror
Right now you can find the Satin Kajal, EyeWear and Reflect Highlighter individually. The gloss and mirror are currently exclusive to the set.
The new Posh Gloss in Martini is very sheer. It’s described as glittering champagne and I love the smooth texture and glossy finish but on my lips it’s almost clear. If you want something that shows up better I’d recommend Fenty Champ Stamp Fantasy or Anastasia Beverly Hills Peachy.
I’ve really liked the Satin Kajal liner (I wear black all the time) and her EyeWear but hadn’t tried the Olive liner or Oyster shadow. Both are really beautiful shades I think would make great staples. I rarely ever wear green but the olive in the liner is very pretty and color is dark.
You girls know that highlighter sticks are usually a miss for me because I really can’t get that dewy cheek look to last on my skin. I find most too dewy, too sticky and too emollient but this Reflect Highlighter from Victoria Beckham Beauty is the best one I’ve tried. It is dewy and adds a glow but there is a slight dry down so it doesn’t feel too sticky on the skin. I’m ordering the other shade immediately.
I also recently tried her new Vast Lash Mascara. I ordered it from her website and think it’s a really nice tubing formula. I still prefer the Tarte Tartlette Tubing Mascara for holding the curl but this one from VBB is very good.
We are currently traveling in Miami and I brought quite a few VBB products with me! Wanted to share what I packed from her line (I brought much more from other brands, will try to do a packing roundup when we get back home). I love her Lid Lustre in Honey and Posh Gloss in Bungalow. Also love her Contour Stick.
Overall I really love the Final Touch Holiday Set. I don’t think the gloss is a must because it’s SO sheer, so for that reason I won’t call the set a must-have. That being said I do love the other items in it, I think I will get a lot of use out of everything.
Did you try this set or anything in it? Have you tried Victoria Beckham Beauty? What did you think?
Available online at Victoria Beckham Beauty.
Refy Beauty is one of those brands that keeps popping up on my radar. I’ve seen so many rave about their brow products so I ordered a few items to try like the Brow Pencil and while I really liked them, I feel like my tried and true brow staples from Benefit or Anastasia Beverly Hills were more my vibe.
I did a poll on stories asking you if you’ve tried the brand and what you loved. Dozens of you told me to try their Tinted Lip Gloss so I ordered all six shades along with a few of the Lip Sculpt. You can find them at Refy Beauty and most of the items also at Sephora.
Here are three things I’ve tried and love.
Tinted Lip Gloss
The Tinted Lip Gloss ($20) is available in six shades and clear. They also launched a limited-edition Red color for holiday but it seems to have sold out. The Tinted Lip Glosses are smooth with sheer-medium pigment, not quite super sheer and not quite medium, but somewhere in between.
They’re described as a lip gloss with the benefits of a balm. They feel very comfortable on the lips and while they don’t last a long time on me they last long enough that I don’t have to constantly reapply. They do not have any scent or taste. I love the glossy finish and every single neutral shade is amazing. A few of them look similar on me as my natural lip shows through.
Taupe, Blush and Rosewood are the lightest options all variations of a neutral pink. Fawn is a beautiful tan beige. Dusk is a beautiful warm pink. Sepia is a cool toned brownish plum. I think it’s hard to pick a favorite but I really love Rosewood, Dusk and Taupe.
Below swatches of all shades, also wearing:
- Foundation – Too Faced Born This Way Healthy Glow Tint in Warm Beige
- Powder – Givenchy Prisme Libre Shade 3
- Eyeshadow – Patrick Ta Major Dimension Eyeshadow Palette
- Brows – Benefit Precisely My Brow Shade 2.5
- Bronzer – Refy Cream Bronzer in Tan
- Tank – Reformation (wearing XS)
Overall really love. They have a metal tip applicator which can get kinda messy when you swipe them over the lips to blend the product. You will have to wipe it clean after use but it’s not a deal breaker. The only thing I would change is the packaging color. Right now they’re all the exact same color. If they had some kind of stripe or tinted exterior (like Summer Fridays or Rhode) it would make it so much easier to grab the shade you want just from looking at the tube (versus reading the tiny print on the back). Some shades have launched at Sephora but you can find all of them at Refy Beauty.
Swatches in action here:
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Lip Sculpt
The Lip Sculpt ($26) has so many mixed reviews and after testing some of the shades I also have mixed feelings. These are available in the same colors as the gloss. I absolutely LOVE the colors. Pigment is pretty good. I’m not the biggest fan of the formula though. If you have dry lips (ie if you don’t have lip balm on or a primer) they will tug. I know with any matte kind of formula there will be some level of tugging but these aren’t the easiest to apply because they set quickly. They have a pencil at one end and a setting product on the other side which I do not like at all. It has an odd texture and almost off-white finish.
Cream Bronzer
Last I tried one of the Cream Bronzers ($26) in Tan. I love the color and the formula is pretty good. It doesn’t have the best lasting power for all day wear on my skin type and in Florida weather, but it’s nice for a night out or if you have dry skin. For a cream bronzer I still swear by the Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream or Rare Beauty Warm Wishes Effortless Bronzer Stick for better formula and wear time, but the ones from Refy Beauty aren’t bad.
That wraps up my Refy Beauty review! I ordered the Tinted Lip Glosses from the Refy Beauty website and a few things from Sephora.
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Have you tried anything from the line? What did you think? Hit or miss?