Today Chanel launches their Black Friday Limited-Edition Set called Light the Way ($111) with full-sizes of the LES BEIGES Healthy Glow Natural Eyeshadow Palette in Warm and LES BEIGES Healthy Glow Lip Balm in Medium. Both are permanent items in their Les Beiges lineup and it’s packaged in their holiday makeup pouch. I’ve included swatches below from my review of the items when they launched in previous years. I think both are classic staples you can wear year round.
Below left to right: Light, Medium, Deep
Their holiday sets usually sell out very quickly. If you had your eye on one I hope you can get your hands on this!
Happy Thanksgiving! Black Friday Sales and Cyber Week deals have arrived early! Rounding up the best sales and deals in beauty, fashion, home and more. If you have any great deals or sales you’ve found that I missed please share in the comments!
Big Retailers
Anthropologie – 30% off (select items excluded), discount applied in cart, extra 40% off sale items
Bloomingdale’s – Take 25% off items labeled “BLACK FRIDAY TAKE 25% off” through 11/26
Neiman Marcus – Save up to $500 off purchases with code THANKFUL, includes beauty, fragrance, grooming – ends 11/24
Diptyque – 3 Piece Holiday Gift set with trio of a Baies mini candle (35g), Feu de Bois mini candle (35g), and a set of three Diptyque gold Basile ornaments on purchases $175+ with code CYBER23
Jo Malone – Choose a limited-edition 4-piece gift in an exclusive pouch with any $100 order, plus a full-size 30 ml cologne with orders $200 (automatically applied at checkout)
Lots of beautiful sets this year! The most practical beauty item I have that I use nearly every single day is the Riki Loves Riki Glamcor Mirror. I own several different sizes and the Skinny is the most practical (they’re having a pretty good Black Friday sale too).
For the girl who has everything I recommend checking out Victoria Beckham Beauty or Byredo. They have tons of exclusive sets and newer launches you can’t find anywhere else.
Love the fragrance and candle offerings this time of year! Perfume shopping can be tricky since it’s so personal, but there are lots of beautiful sampler sets and minis great for any perfume lover. If you’re looking for a more unique gift I highly recommend checking out Mizensir or Phlur. Both are relatively newer brands.
This year Byredo has a sampler trio you can customize. There are lots of different fragrance sampler sets to pick from online.
For the person who already has all the makeup or fragrance, I’ve rounded up some chic gift ideas. Many of these are things I gift to friends and family!
This Dior Set is so cute, the little soft pouch is beautiful and I love the lip balm and hand balm.
The Cuyana Travel Set is 100% worth the splurge. You can add a monogram to it. Quality is on point and I’ve had my sets for years. Also think Stoney Clover Lane has super cute customizable options (pricey but cute!).
The Lululemon Scuba sweatshirts are among my favorites. Naghedi bags are so chic and versatile. I think virtually anyone would love to have one. I’ve gifted a few and they have been well loved (and easy to clean/maintain).
Advent Calendars
Shop the Advent Calendars
If you’re looking to splurge and gift something with the ULTIMATE WOW FACTOR an Advent Calendar is a generous way to go. I unboxed the Sisley Advent Calendar they gifted this year and it is absolutely stunning!
I bought a few food ones this year. I buy the Bonne Maman Jelly Calendars every year since Andrew is the ultimate jelly lover. I’ve gifted them to my niece and nephew before too and they loved it. This year I decided to order the Laduree Advent Calendar but have not yet opened it.
Happy Thanksgiving week! Kicking off this week with some holiday gift guides and ideas per your requests. My first roundup features budget friendly gift ideas and stocking stuffers all $25 and under.
Prices have definitely increased on everything so finding deals under $25 are more limited than previous holidays. You can still find a lot of cute options but keep in mind these minis will be “extra mini.”
For fun gift ideas I love the practical things like a desk calendar or notepads. There are so many cute options available at Etsy! Personalized gifts like the Letter Mugs are super cute. I ordered a bunch in different letters and plan on stuffing them with sweets and putting them in a cello bag + bow.
Candy is always a fun idea. I love any kind of sweet. Sugarfina definitely always has the WOW factor. They have tons of options at different price points.
If you’re looking for some inspiration for budget friendly gift ideas or stocking stuffers I hope you found this roundup helpful! If you have any fun gift ideas or traditions please share in the comments! I’d love to hear what you gift!
It’s been a while since I’ve done an Ask Me Anything roundup! The months flew by since the summer. It feels like time is passing by so fast and I feel like we will blink and it will be the new year. Here’s what you’ve been asking lately!
1. How are the moving plans coming along? Moving still? Are you staying in Florida? Are we staying here indefinitely? Where would you move if not California or Florida?
This is the number one question I’ve received from everyone. The move to Miami is still on! Life just got very hectic with life things. It has been a challenging year for us but Andrew and I are powering through it. We had hoped we would be in Miami by now, but things don’t always go as planned and we are rolling with it. The plan is to move in the early new year.
2. Are you getting another puppy for Ollie?
The second most asked question is about another dog. So many of you are doodle lovers and send me videos of doodle puppies, your pets (doodles, ragdolls, and more) and I LOVE IT!!!
We really want another dog for Ollie to have a buddy. He does play with the kitty and they like to chase each other around the house but kitty is 11 so his energy level isn’t the same.
Our two Jack Russells were with us for 14 and 17 years. We got them in our early 20s and while I loved them SOOO soooo much, I’m not going to lie, it was a lot of work and it limited what we could do (ie travel, where we could live, etc). They were so nuts I had to walk them separately.
Right now it’s manageable with one dog because Ollie had good training and is very well behaved. We are not sure we can handle two. We will see though!
3. Best decluttering advice for large makeup collections? Do you ever get overwhelmed?
I don’t have the best answer since beauty is my job. I go through a lot more product than the average beauty lover. Yes of course it’s overwhelming but I’ve been a lot more selective these days about what I review, purchase or accept. I used to post a new review 5x per week. These days it’s more like 2x per week, sometimes 3x.
The best decluttering advice I can think of is to use up what you have before you buy anything new. Unfortunately sometimes it’s impossible to use everything up before the expiration date. If you have things that haven’t been contaminated like a dry shampoo bottle, perfume – I recommend gifting to friends or family. Donating is always an option but a lot of times what they’ll accept is limited to new products only.
I know a lot of people use the 2 out 1 in kind of rule. So before they buy anything new, use up 2 things completely before you buy.
4. Favorite designer/luxury brand for purses? Next splurge on my wishlist?
I would say my top 3 favorite lines are Loewe, Celine and Chanel. I’ve been eyeing the Loewe Compact Hammock, Small Puzzle Edge and a few things from Bottega, but I’m at a point where I need to declutter my current collection. There are maybe seven or so bags/wallets I haven’t used in months that I want to sell. I’m debating whether to use a consignment company or do another blog sale.
5. How long did it take for me to become a full-time influencer? What has been your career journey? What’s next? Do you ever miss your corporate job?
Lots of questions about my blogging/influencer journey! I’ve done quite a few posts in the past on what I did before I started blogging full-time. Quick version is my background is in finance. I’ve worked in lots of different industries. The last industry I worked in was commercial aerospace.
I started my blog as a hobby while I was in grad school at the age of 27 and wrote something almost everyday for about 5 years before I even knew I could make it a career. I didn’t know anything about blogging as a career and I was rarely ever sent any press samples. Around 4-5 years into it, another blogger told me about affiliate marketing, helped me get approved into a network and by that time I had a loyal enough following and enough traffic to my site that my blog started converting day 1.
My blog grew quickly and so did the earnings. Blogging was taking so much time and soon it exceeded my corporate salary at which point I took a huge risk and decided to leave the corporate world and blog full time. I was so nervous about it. I had confided in maybe 10 close friends and family about this new venture and 8 out of 10 told me not to do it. Nearly everyone told me I was crazy so I decided to just do it any not tell anyone for a while (except for those 10). I didn’t even tell my company or work colleagues where I was going or what I was doing (only 2 from work knew and they kept my secret). I don’t think I told my dad about leaving my corporate job until maybe 1 year later because I knew he would be SO worried and would be obsessively asking me for updates on a daily basis “how is your business doing” or “did you write a business plan?” or “are you sure you are ok?” and “can you ask for your old job back?” and “do you want to come work for me?”.
All this could have been something that did not work out. But here we are nearly 10 years later and I have zero regrets. I don’t miss the corporate life at all – there was lots of high stress, corporate politics, endless meetings, always worrying about what would happen if you were laid off or if management changed. There is still work stress in life, but the type of stress is different. I think all the years of working for different companies and people were very valuable to me.
What’s next? I have no idea! I’ve never been the kind of person who had an answer to the question “where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?” For those who keep asking why I’m not on YouTube, I would love to be. I just need to do it. But shooting and editing video content is not easy. If I were to do YouTube I feel like I would have to drop this blog or social media or hire someone to help manage/edit.
6. Can you do a follow-up on meal prep/meal plans?
Ahh yes. I had planned to do an entire review on this. Andrew and I have tried so many meal prep plans. We’ve tried pre-made meals, meal plans that you prepare on your own (ie everything is measured), our own meal prep recipes. We have yet to find a plan we love and do not get tired of.
The plans where you make on your own like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh ended up taking too much time. They may have gotten better over the years but when we tried it (this was when were in San Diego, so maybe 10 years ago) the recipes weren’t easy and they did not save us a lot of time.
Finding a good plan to fit your diet needs can be hard. There are tons of “healthy” options that don’t taste great. As a picky eater I need it to taste good for me to stick with it. We’ve tried some premade ready to eat meals and there are some really good. The problem is the quality hasn’t always been consistent (sometimes they go bad before the expiration date) and although they have different types of foods and meals, eating them day after day gets really boring. Some we have tried and like:
Factor
Cook Unity
Epicured
Fit Life Foods (this might just be local to Tampa)
We did not like Sakara Life although I know it’s super popular. Right now we are back to cooking meals ourselves or going out to eat. I’ll make eggs for breakfast and we’ll add a piece of avocado, toast or sausage. I love cottage cheese + a little bit of jelly or granola for breakfast. I’ve been into making smoothies again. We’ve been on a Jersey Mikes kick for lunches. For dinners I usually do something simple like something from Trader Joes plus lots of fresh steamed vegetables.
The easiest meal prep I’ve done is making a huge batch of ground chicken meatballs + steamed vegetables for the week (you can also use ground turkey). There are tons of great recipes online, I like the Honey Sriracha Glazed Meatballs. I’ve tried a few recipes and love this one.
7. Personal questions: How old are you? Height? Plans for kids? What does your husband do? How long did you date before you two got married?
I’m 42 and 5’3” tall. No plans for kids (just more fur babies maybe). Andrew is an attorney. We dated for 7 years before we got married. I sometimes say 7 years minus 3 months (haha) because we broke up once very early on for a short time.
8. Any traveling plans this holiday?
We are not sure. Back in August we had plans to go back to California for a month and then travel all holiday. Work (and life) suddenly became very busy for both of us and we just haven’t had time. We might do another trip over Christmas like we did last year.
9. What are your winter skincare must-haves for mature skin?
This is the first winter my skin has felt extra dry and sensitive (due to dryness). Florida is a lot more humid than other places, but we haven’t gotten a lot of rain in our area and everything SO dry. I’ve had to use my rich creams, more hand cream, Vaseline etc. My skin is definitely maturing but I think skincare recommendations depend more on type vs age.
My top favorites right now though:
Prequel Barrier Therapy Skin Protectant for Face and Body has been great for skin flare ups. I had some terrible eczema flare-ups on my hands a couple weeks ago (to the point I couldn’t sleep it was so painful). This helped tremendously.
Vaseline Cocoa Butter for lips is one of the best things you can buy for lip hydration. The only thing I don’t like is how it’s packaged, but it’s so thick I don’t think it would work in a squeeze tube format. The Sugar Cookie flavor for holiday is super fun too.
I also really love the Bobbi Brown Extra Plump Lip Serum (on sale for 30% off at Ulta Beauty right now). The plumping is minimal and not super strong (no tingle) – it’s more of a subtle plumping with a smoothing effect and really nice hydration. I’m on my 3rd tube and am going to stock up on a few while it’s on sale.
Even if your skin is dry I still think you need to do some kind of exfoliation or acid treatment. I swear by the Sunday Riley Good Genes 1-2x per week.
10. Best beauty splurge you’ve ever made, you can only pick 1 thing.
This is a tough one! I think the best beauty item I own is the Dyson Airwrap (original version). This was a gift from Andrew. A couple years ago he asked me what one thing I wanted but wouldn’t buy for myself and this was it. I didn’t want to buy it because I had already splurged on the Supersonic a few years before. I use the Airwrap nearly every single day.
Bobbi Brown launched a new lipstick formula called the Luxe Matte Lipstick ($41 each). This formula replaced the original Luxe Matte Lipstick which I don’t think I tried before so I’m not sure how they compare, but the new one is as flawless as it gets for a matte lip.
To this day I’m still a glossy lip lover but the matte lip formulas keep getting better every year. My top favorite formulas are from Pat McGrath and Charlotte Tilbury and the new Bobbi Brown Luxe Matte formula is better (although I still really love the Pat McGrath ones).
Formula is ultra smooth and non-drying. The best part is they don’t look super dry either. I’d say they’re more of a velvety soft matte. Pigment is opaque and full coverage with a single swipe. The colors are all on point for the holiday season and they have a pretty good range of tones from neutrals, brown tones, bolds and reds.
As a neutral lip lover I would have loved if they made some of their best sellers like Bare, Blondie Pink and Buff in this formula, but I do see how that would be redundant and I can appreciate that they have new shades in this formula. (I think Pat McGrath has the best matte neutrals.)
Sunset Rose is a neutral-cool toned nude pink
Neutral Rose is a dusty rose
Boss Pink is a healthy warm pink
Parkside is a cool-toned brown
Afternoon Tea is a peachy almost orange shade
Big City Pink is a hot pink
Claret is a muted soft red
Ruby is a deep red
Power Play is an electric orange
Traffic Stopper is a bright warm red
Red Carpet is a true red
After Hours is a wine red
They’re not scented and lasting power is pretty good. They’re not transfer proof but I like the wear time and they feel very comfortable on the lips.
Swatches of some of the shades on the lips, also wearing:
Bobbi Brown sent over a selection of their holiday sets and palettes. I am absolutely in love with the Luxe Eyeshadow Duo ($48) in Last Dance. I love the luxe eyeshadow shimmers and especially love the tones in this one! There are a few other shades but it looks like they may have already sold out as I cannot find them anywhere online.
This holiday they have a lot of their best-sellers packaged in bundles at a value price. They make for some great stocking stuffers like the Extra Lip Tint Duo ($35, $70 value), Confetti Crush Lip Trios ($30 for minis, $59 value) and All Eyes Aglow Long-Wear Cream Shadow Set with Moonstone, Taupe, Cinnamon, Mulberry and Soft Bronze + Mascara ($99, $197 value).
There are a few cheek palettes out this season. I tried the Luxe Cheek and Highlight Palette in Rose Glow ($62). At first glance I thought it would be too light for my medium skin tone but much to my surprise it shows up beautifully for a natural glow.
Overall love. I think there are some really beautiful pieces to wear for a fresh look this holiday but classic enough to be able to wear come spring.
This holiday Chanel launched stunning Oversize Illuminating Face Powders ($95 each) in their Les Symboles de Chanel collection. There are five stunning embossed patterns to choose from and each symbol has a special meaning for Chanel: The Lion (strength), The Comet (luck), The Camellia (harmony), The Chain (style) and The Pearls (radiance).
There are three colors to choose from each design: Pearly White, Warm Gold and Precious Coral.
Pearly White
Pearly White is a glittery sparkling white. It has more glitter than most Chanel highlighters. Fun for holiday parties but VERY glittery. To my eye looks nearly identical to the sparkling bottom half of the Duo Lumiere from the Holiday 2023 collection. If I had to pick one I would opt for the Duo Lumiere because the color in the top portion is SO stunning.
Warm Gold is the perfect shade of warm gold. A little peachy, tiny bits of microsparkles (but not full on glitter) make this beautiful. There is another highlighter in the Poudre Lumiere formula called Warm Gold but the Warm Gold color in Les Symboles de Chanel is different. Noticeably different to justify owning both in my opinion. The holiday version is deeper, more golden and more sparkly/luminous.
Precious Coral is my favorite. It’s a beautiful light coral with the most perfect soft sheen to it. I want this shade in literally everything – tops, bags, lipstick, gloss, eyeshadow etc. I think it’s the prettiest color I think I’ve ever seen.
Overall beautiful and luminous. I collect Chanel highlighters so these were a must for me. I would have loved if the Pearly White were more of a smooth shimmer vs a glitter, but I still think it’s fun for holiday. My favorite is the Precious Coral although the Warm Gold is a very pretty flattering gold shade. It’s hard to pick a favorite pattern. I think they’re all beautiful but I think the Comet and Camellia are my favorites.
Available at Chanel.com and Chanel Beauty Boutiques. All limited-edition.
