Space NK is having their Spring Beauty Edit Gift With Purchase for US in stores and online today! With any $275 purchase or more you’ll receive a gift bag valued at over $500. If you are shopping online use code SPRING18 at checkout. The gift contains deluxe sized samples of skincare, fragrance and makeup from Diptyque, By Terry, Oribe and more.
What’s inside the gift:
Space NK Limited Edition Cosmetic Bag
111 Skin Space Anti Age Day Cream NAC Y2 (0.5oz)
BeautyBlender BlenderCleanser Solid (0.58oz)
By Terry Baume De Rose Lip Care (0.1oz)
Byredo Gypsy Water Eau De Parfum (I received Mojave Ghost) (2ml)
The minimum spend price point is the highest I think I’ve ever seen for Space NK although it does appear that the gift contents are a lot more generous this round. I love keeping these minis for travel but most of the time I end up re-gifting these to friends. Available today while supplies last online and in stores at Space NK. If you are shopping online use code SPRING18 at checkout.
Since I’m already currently stocked up on a lot of these items I’m going to give away mine to one reader. Simply enter through the widget below. Open internationally but you must be 18 years or older to quality. Giveaway ends tomorrow 2/14 at 11:45 PM EST. I usually pick a winner within 48 hours after the giveaway ends and contact them via e-mail. Prizes typically ship within one week. Not sponsored.
Chanel has quite a few new launches this spring and today I’m thrilled to give you a peek at the new Rouge Coco Lip Blush along with some other picks for Valentine’s Day in fragrance, nails and lips. Right now it appears most of these are exclusive to Chanel.com, I suspect they will trickle into stores and counters soon.
First is a selection of options in the scent Chance Eau Tendre. This is a bright fruity floral that has grapefruit, green notes and quince mixed with jasmine and a bit of mush. It’s very spring-like and romantic. If you like this scent in the Eau de Toilette form you can now wear it in a number of ways including the Body Oil Spray (lovely lightweight feel with excellent packaging), Moisturizing Body Cream (luxurious smooth and cooling on the skin) and Hair Mist. My favorite is the Hair Mist because it has enough throw but is still soft enough that it’s not overpowering. The entire line smells like spring.
The Rouge Coco Lip Blush is a unique lightweight gel product for lips and cheeks. The colors are vibrant and bold in the tube but once you blend the color sheers out quite a bit for a soft tint. On the lips I can layer easily for more color – it’s not something you have to pack on to get to show up. On the cheeks however the gel is quite sheer and a tiny bit dewy for a very natural youthful glow perfect for spring. There’s no detectable scent and these come with a soft double sided sponge applicator.
On the lips I apply directly with the sponge. On the cheeks I make three to four dabs of color and then blend with the fingers. I was initially worried that my foundation and powder would get the sponge dirty but as long as you dab lightly there’s no issue. Also these work really well over foundation and powder. As long as your base isn’t super matte and super heavy you can layer on top and blend without it looking like you caked on product on your face.
The six colors include:
410 Corail Naturel sheer medium peach pink
412 Orange Explosif bright orange
414 Tender Rose sheer medium warm pink
416 Teasing Pink bright sheer cool pink
418 Rouge Captivant bold classic red
420 Burning Berry deep brown plum
To me, Corail Naturel and Tender Rose look almost identical on me. The difference is very slight with Tender Rose having just a bit more pink. Those two are also the sheerest. Swatched below blended versus layered to show how much the color sheers out:
Close up of the applicators:
Wearing each of the colors on both lips and cheeks. As you can see below the colors on the cheeks are very sheer when blended. They give just a soft hint of color with a dewy finish. Also wearing on the face is the Estee Lauder Doublewear Nude in 3W1, MAC Next to Nothing Pressed Powder in Medium Plus, Hourglass Arch Brow Pencil in Warm Brunette (I can also pull off Soft Brunette).
Everything is swatched on bare lips, nothing else is ever added unless I list it in the descriptions above. Corresponding color is also on the cheeks blended except for 414 Tender Rose which you can see dabbed on one cheek and blended on the other.
Overall lasting power is medium, on the cheeks they stay put for a few hours but due to the dewy nature they can get a tiny bit shiny looking. On the lips these feel like a weightless gel. Lasting power is good for a few hours and the deeper shades leave a tiny bit of a stain. The lighter shades fade on me fairly fast. Overall thoughts are that these are true to Chanel’s style of the simple classic kind of beauty. I wish the neutrals had a bit more pigment because the colors are PERFECT! They do make for a very nice barely there polished look though. My favorite out of the entire bunch is Teasing Pink. It’s a sheer hot pink, the sheerness makes it wearable for me.
Last but not least are two classics, they aren’t new, but the Chanel Le Vernis in Shantung is a classic red perfect for Valentine’s Day, but really wearable for year round. Rouge Allure Velvet in Rouge Feu is a classic warm bright red fr the lips if you’re looking for something bold.
Bottom line lots to love for me. The weather is warming up here which makes me feel ready to break out the spring scents. Chance Eau Tendre to me is a perfect warm weather fragrance that’s feminine and light but not too strong. For the Rouge Coco Lip Blush I really like the colors as I think they’re going to be flattering on a number of skintones and would have bought them even if I didn’t receive them as press samples. I’m still trying to get used to the formula as I’m normally not really into gel products but I like that they give a very fresh faced look. Given the lightweight practically weightless feel I know I’m going to appreciate it a lot more once the weather warms up and humidity rises.
You can find the Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Blush, Chance Eau Tendre, Shantung and Rouge Feu all on Chanel.com. For a limited time they’re offering complimentary overnight shipping on all US orders placed by Tuesday February 13 at 2 PM, I do believe anything with nail products have to ship ground though.
Have you tried the Rouge Coco Lip Blush yet? If yes what did you think?
I have a few new items I’ve been testing from YSL Beauty including the new Touche Eclat All-In-One Glow Tinted Moisturizer and the Tatouage Couture Matte Stains for the lips. The Matte Lip Stains actually launched last fall but Sephora has four new exclusive shades, two of which are nudes so I picked them up to try. All of the items get a thumbs up from me. I’ve had several misses from the line last year so this was a nice surprise to find that everything worked well for me this testing round!
Touche Eclat All-In-One Glow Tinted Moisturizer
The Touche Eclat All-In-One Glow is a tinted Moisturizer that gives sheer to medium coverage with a radiant finish. For my normal combination skin this has just the right amount of moisture to add comfort but isn’t overly greasy. I’d say the closest it is in finish and texture is the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer. By comparison the YSL is more dewy and the tiniest bit sheerer. For my skin it doesn’t have enough coverage to cover freckles, but it does have enough pigment to smooth out the skin. It feels natural like a lightweight moisturizer and stays on all day. I do need to set with a powder and even though it doesn’t get greasy it has a slightly luminous glow so for me any kind of cream or liquid glow will inevitably get oily looking as the day progresses. Touch-ups were definitely needed, but on warm weather days here in Florida that’s a given for any product.
So many of you had asked for me to review the All Hours Full Coverage Matte Foundation that launched last year, however I haven’t had much luck with the formulas because the alcohol content is usually high on their ingredient list and it can cause a lot of irritation on my skin. I had a pretty bad experience with their Fusion Ink Foundation (now discontinued) so I’ve avoided all the formulas since then. The Touche Eclat All-In-One Glow Tinted Moisturizer intrigued me though so when I saw that the ingredient list didn’t have Alcohol Denat high on the list or anywhere on the list I decided to give it a go. So far after a week of testing, no irritation or bumps, yay!
My shade is B40. Based on reviews of the other foundations I thought I’d be in the BD range but upon swatching them at the counter for now I’ve found the BD range is too olive/yellow for me. This is a rare thing as most foundation lines aren’t yellow enough, but the B range works for me as I’m more in the beige/golden range rather than yellow, at least for YSL.
A quick look with just the Touche Eclat All-In-One Glow Tinted Moisturizer, no powder or concealer. I do have other makeup on the eyes (Urban Decay Naked3 Palette), brows (Diorshow Brow Styler Universal Brown) and lips (YSL Tatouage Couture #25 Beige Secret). Sweater from Madewell.
Tatouage Couture Matte Stains
I picked up two of the Tatouage Couture Matte Stains in 7 Nude Interdit and 23 Singular Taupe back in the fall when they launched. I’ve been using them on and off since then but never got around to reviewing them. Many of the shades have sold out repeatedly, for some reason both 7 and 23 are on backorder almost everywhere right now, but you can still find them online at Neiman Marcus. Since the time they launched Sephora added four new exclusive colors and I picked up two in 25 Beige Secret and 28 Nude Undercover. If you’re looking at the photo below and think they all look identical, I’m with you. They have a frosted clear exterior which kinda mutes the color. The four shades I have are nudes and in the tubes they look almost the same, but they are indeed different once you swatch them.
The applicators are amazing! It has a sponge tip that loads product and an angled flat tip with a little well inside to hold the lip product. Finish is full coverage but weightless and not drying. There’s no shrinking effect when it dries down like most matte liquid lipsticks have so lips don’t look like raisins. My only complaint is that they don’t last all day long like other liquid matte lipsticks do. After a few hours color noticeably fades or gets absorbed into the lips, but I have no complaints about reapplying because the finish, texture, coverage and colors are perfect.
28 Nude Undercover is a nude pink, cooler than Singular Taupe (Sephora exclusive)
The flash adds a bit of reflection, but they dry down to a more matte finish than what you see below. I still think of these as a semi-matte or a radiant-matte kind of finish.
Bottom line solid wins for me. That being said it’s still winter weather here in Florida, I know in a matter of a couple weeks we will be back to 80 degree warm sunshine so I don’t know how the tinted moisturizer will hold up for me in warm weather.
You can find the YSL Touche Eclat All-In-One Glow and Tatouage Couture Matte Stains at all counters now. Available at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sephora and YSL Beauty along with other retailers. Two shades featured for the lips in 25 and 28 are exclusive to Sephora.
Valentine’s Day is just a week away! I’ve put together a little gift guide whether you’re looking for a little inspiration, hint ideas or something to treat yourself! A year ago this time I was still in San Diego busy packing up our loft and recovering from wisdom teeth removal. Not a fun time! As a surprise Andrew bought me the most beautiful boxed roses from Venus Et Fleur (you can see them here). They’re real roses that come in boxes that are preserved to last an entire year. I did not think it was possible but here we are a year later and they still look amazing! So many of you asked for a full year review. I did a February through August month by month snapshot. In August we started living the nomadic life and they went into a climate controlled storage unit until January. You can read all about them on their website – they stay inside the boxes and you don’t need to water them!
Venus Et Fleur Roses month by month
Today, one year later they are still in nearly perfect condition. The edges have started to become a little ragged looking but there has been zero browning and the colors have remained the same. We were a little rough with them because quite frankly we had a challenging year last year. These went through a 3,000 mile 5-day drive in the back of a moving truck (with no AC) from San Diego, California all the way to Tampa, Florida. They also survived a few more truck moves and stayed in a storage unit for several months. Both Andrew and I are truly impressed!
At the 1 Year Mark
Byredo for Valentine’s Day
Byredo has a few fun offerings for Valentine’s Day this year including a Limited-Edition I Love You Travel Case ($120). They have a few assorted travel spray trios this season, La Selection Florale ($110) has 3 x 0.4 oz./ 12 mL in Blanche, La Tulipe and Rose of No Man’s Land. There are a few other variations including the La Selection Boisee, La Sélection Best-Sellers and a six piece set La Selection Byredo ($220) as well. Trio and travel case shown above next to a 50 mL perfume and hair perfume for scale. I’ve bought the minis before and it’s highly recommended that you purchase a case for them. I’ve had a few break in my purse without it.
Pink Treats
Three super cute pink beauty things include the Chanel Chance Eau Tendre Hair Mist, Nuvola Rosa Nail Polish and the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask mini. There are a lot of perfume brands out there that have hair perfumes to match their regular scents. I just recently tried hair mists last year and I think they’re a fun way to wear scent. Chanel Eau Tendre is a youthful bright spring scent with a mix of Grapefruit, Jasmine and White Musk. They have the perfume and other body products at a number of places but the Hair Mist is a Chanel.com exclusive.
Nuvola Rosa Le Vernis is one of the prettiest baby pinks I’ve ever tried! In case you missed it review here. And yes! I’ll be reviewing a lot of the newer launches very soon.
Glow Recipe launched two new things recently. Their Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask has been super popular and for good reason! It has the most delicious smelling watermelon scent. I’m still in the early stages of testing this. I’ve tried it 3 nights so far and it has a nice lightweight bouncy texture that doesn’t feel super thick. When I wake up skin feels noticeably softer! The two new things include a Mini Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask (shown below) and also a moisturizer version called Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Moisturizer (not shown). I’ll have a more detailed review soon, but I think the Mini Watermelon Mask would make for the cutest Galentine’s Day Gift for girlfriends!
Sweet Treats
When in doubt, I don’t think you can go wrong with candy or a luxury candle. I’m the biggest junk food junkie and can never resist anything Sugarfina. They have some cute sets out for Valentine’s Day with some fun labels on the tops. The XOXO 2-Piece Candy Bento Box is $18. There’s also a 3-Piece Box for $26 and a 4-Piece Box for $34.
The best candle you can give as a gift this season (in my opinion) is the Diptyque Rose Delight which I reviewed a few weeks ago! It’s just so so pretty!
New YSL and Chanel Lip Preview
There are usually a lot of new lip products launched during this time of year. I’ve already reviewed the new Cle de Peau Beaute Radiant Lip Glosses on the blog. Two other new launches include the YSL Volupte Liquid Colour Balms and Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Blush. I’ll have a more detailed review in the next few days. In the meantime here’s a sneak peek of swatches in case you want to see what they look like and can’t wait.
First impressions are the YSL Volupte Liquid Colour Balm are decently pigmented for a balm! They are super cushiony but have less slip than the twist up stick balms. There is the same fruity scent. On my lips they seem to have a slight plumping effect but without any tingle, but then a lot of balms make my already full lips look fuller. #1 is supposed to be a night mask which is interesting. I haven’t tried that one yet but will report back once I do.
The Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Blush is a hydrating lip and cheek color. Colors are bold but once you blend it the color sheers out quite a bit for more of a stain. They feel weightless but a bit dewy. I’ll have to do more testing to do a proper review. They come with a sponge tip applicator. A more detailed review to follow as soon as I can!
Swatched from left to right:
YSL Volupte Night Rehab Lip Mask #1 Night Rehab
YSL Volupte Liquid Colour Balms
#2 Expose Me Rose
#3 Show Me Peach
#4 Spy on Me Nude
#5 Watch Me Orange
#10 Devour Me Plum
#12 Chase Me Nude
Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Blush
#414 Tender Rose
#410 Corail Naturel
#416 Teasing Pink
#418 Rouge Captivant
#412 Orange Explosif
#420 Burning Berry
That wraps up my Valentine’s Day Gift Guide! Do you have any fun Valentine’s Day traditions? Anything you do with your significant other or a group of girl friends? Stay tuned for another giveaway this week. Details will be posted on my Weekly Giveaway Page later this afternoon.
Press samples include the Byredo Travel Case, Byredo Trio, Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Blush, Chanel Chance Eau Tendre.
I have my first monthly favorites of the year! I’m going to try and do more of these roundups and in the future will include both hits and misses. January included two moves which was a bit chaotic but it did not stop me from trying lots of new launches in skincare. There were quite a few new launches that I’ve been dying to share with you! I’ve been putting them to the test for an extended period of time in order to see if I could actually see results. My favorites list:
Tatcha The Essence
Tatcha Water Cream
Tatcha The Deep Cleanse
Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Rescue Mask
Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream
L’Occitane x Rifle Paper Company Shea Butter Trio
L’Occitane Shea Butter Cuticle Oil
Aesop Parsley Seed Cleansing Mask
Aesop Redemption Body Scrub
Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm and Hand Wash from the Mind Sway Kit
Kate Somerville Exfolikate Gentle
Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen
Chanel Sublimage La Brume Mist
Tatcha Favorites
Tatcha launched a new cleanser called The Deep Cleanse. It’s a gentle daily cleanser that has natural fruit exfoliants to cleanse the skin. It’s oil-free, gentle and lathers nicely with warm water. Leaves the skin soft and cleansed without any tight feel. The only thing I wish it came with was a pump although I’m not sure the thick formula is something that can be pumped easily. I’ve also continued using the Tatcha Water Cream which is one of my favorite daily moisturizers. I use it after I apply the Tatcha Essence which is my favorite essence out of all the ones I’ve tried. It’s lightweight and doesn’t have any sticky residue but makes a big difference in helping other products sit on my skin better. If you want something for travel or don’t want to buy the large size first, there’s a super cute mini Pore-Perfecting Moisturizer and Cleanser Duo available at Sephora.
Aesop Favorites
Aesop continues to be one of our favorites, a lot of the products work for both men and women. They have some really great sets for gifts but I always end up buying them for myself. I bought the Enigmatic Mind Sway Kit twice (one for my brother and one for me). I love everything in it, but my top two favorites for January included the Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm and Resurrection Aromatique Hand Wash for the scent and formula. I just discovered they have a Resurrection Hand Sanitizer in a rinse-free version that I need to check out soon.
The Redemption Body Scrub also made my favorites list. This is Andrew’s favorite and for me tied with the Geranium Leaf Body Scrub. Both are really good for cleaning the body and getting rid of dead skin cells. The scents are really relaxing too.
My obsession with the Parsley Seed Cleansing Mask is still going strong. I always try keep a backup on hand because I don’t want to ever be without it. The mask helps draw out impurities like no other but doesn’t strip or sting the skin. Sometimes I’ll just apply it on the T-zone. It’s gentle enough I can use it multiple times a week if I’m having troubled skin.
L’Occitane
L’Occitane x Rifle Paper Company teamed up to launch some cute products this year. A lot of the sets have sold out online but you can definitely check your local store for some items. The solid Shea Butter was the first thing I tried from their line many years ago and it’s perfect for the cuticles. There is a limited-edition Petite Shea Butter Trio with three scents: Classic Shea, Apricot and Rose. The classic one remains my favorite. Another recent discovery is the Shea Butter Nail and Cuticle Nourishing Oil. This winter my cuticles have been really dry. They are normally fine year round but we had some extra dry weather here in Florida and this was the first time they cracked. This rescued them. There’s a little brush applicator which I love.
Supergoop!
Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen is one of the latest launches from Supergoop! I rely heavily on their Everyday Sunscreen and was thrilled to find they launched something for the face. 100% excited that the formula is clear because the biggest challenge I have with face sunscreens is the white tint. Even though most of them say it will absorb into the skin and disappear I find so many leave that hideous white cast. This one is lightweight, long lasting, non-irritating and works well with makeup. I apply my skincare first, then the sunscreen and then foundation + powder on top. There’s no oily feel, no greasy residue, no white cast and no scent.
Other Loves
Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream is my newest obsession for face moisturizers. I picked it up at Sephora and it was love at first use. It’s a hydrating cream but not heavy and absorbs beautifully into the face. It just feels amazing on the skin. I love that it comes with a pump/press packaging that makes for easy application and keeps the cream itself free from any hand germs. It’s worked well with all of my foundations so far. I highly recommend you give it a look if you have normal/combination skin.
Fresh launched a new face mask called the Lotus Youth Preserve Rescue Mask. I’ve tried the Lotus Youth Preserve cream before and thought it was just ok, but the mask is quite amazing. It has a very nice soothing, calming and relaxing feel to it. It’s a five minute mask that leaves the skin soft and radiant. It contains kombu seaweed which to me almost has that refreshing cucumber feel. I absolutely love it.
Two staples that continue to be staples for me include the Kopari Coconut Melt and Kate Somerville Exfolikate Gentle. Kopari Coconut Melt is my go-to for dry winter skin. I apply it at night before I go to bed and it helps with tightness and any itchy spots. The Kate Somerville Exfolikate Gentle is still one of my favorites that I use multiple times per week. I find regular exfoliation keeps my skin looking smooth and helps clear away dead skin. Andrew’s favorite is the Jack Black Face Buff which he insists is the best one on the market. It’s definitely a good one that I borrow occasionally, but I still like my Kate Somerville one because it’s more gentle.
Last but not least, face mist story and roundup still in the works but the Chanel Sublimage La Brume has been the best for me the past month with dry winter weather. It has the perfect mix of moisture and lightness to hydrate and refresh the skin without being too much.
That wraps up my January Favorites! What were your favorite items the first month of the year? I love reading about what you love in beauty – can be anything for makeup, tools or skincare! Let me know in the comments.
Press samples include Tatcha Water Cream, Essence and Deep Cleanse, Supergoop! Unseen and L’Occitane products.
Happy Thursday! I have three things for you today: an Instagram roundup with some FAQ, a list of the 3 Instagram apps I use and a spring cleaning closet blog sale! I get a lot of questions about my Instagram posts @beautylookbook. Often times the images are snippets from the blog to alert readers a new post is up, other times it’s more of what’s inspiring me. I don’t have a consistent plan or schedule for content – I’d like to be more active and organized and hope to do more this year. First some FAQs:
What cameras do you use to take your photos?
I have used a few cameras over the years, these days I alternate between my iPhone 6S and Sony a7R II with a FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Lens. I have an iPhone X which I’m trying to set up as well but I have a long list of things to do and haven’t gotten around to it, but I’m excited to try it! So many of you ask about all the cameras I’ve tried – I did a roundup a few years ago, I’ll try to put together an updated one in the next month or so. For now I’ve started to put together an Amazon Shop Page and I’ll be adding more of the equipment and tools I use that you can refer to. My equipment is usually bought from Amazon or B&H Photo.
What apps do you use for Instagram?
Scroll to the bottom for more details the three I use. I mainly use Afterlight, Snapseed and Planoly.
Can you tell me about (insert product name) in this photo?
I get lots of questions about certain products in my photos, I’ll round up my recent ones and go through them below 🙂
Instagram Roundup
We’ve been in our new place for a couple weeks now and yes I’m thrilled we don’t have to move for a while! I’ve been slowly unpacking things and it’s like Christmas as I rediscover things. We’re in the process of ordering furniture, I always forget that delivery can sometimes take a while. For this photo, a lot of you ask about the mirror I have. It’s the Gleaming Primose Mirror in the smallest size. I also recently bought the Byredo Tree House Candle which is a beautiful smoky scent. I smelled this in the Byredo store in Soho last spring and have been dreaming about it ever since. Some of you have noticed the larger sizes of Louis Vuitton perfumes! The Louis Vuitton team sent over an amazing surprise package with a full size of the Apogee and a travel atomizer set of Dans La Peau *. Both are beautiful for spring. I can definitely update you on these. For now you can read my review on all 7 scents in the Les Parfums Miniature Set review. There’s also a new one launching in the spring and I’m dying to smell it!
Everyone has been asking about that pink nail polish, it’s Chanel Nuvola Rosa from the Spring-Summer 2018 Collection. And yes, it’s lovely! The pale pink makeup bag is the Louis Vuitton Cosmetic Case in the Epi material in Dune. It’s held up remarkably well over the years. Some other more affordable options can be found from The Daily Edited.
Bag spill shot on my iPhone with a little editing using the Snapseed and Afterlight apps. On the nails is Dior Love for spring. I’m going to try and find you a dupe as it’s sold out and only available online at Dior.com. Handbag favorites are the Chanel La Creme Main * because it has a lovely light scent and an amazing velvety drydown, Sisley Lip Treatment because it has no scent and is lighter in finish than the By Terry Baume de Rose, Tom Ford Lipstick in Lara, Tom Ford Soleil Blanc (in the travel atomizer), and Glossier Lip Gloss (this referral link will get you 10% off your first Glossier order). The Louis Vuitton Tote I have is the Neverfull MM size. It has quite a bit of patina on the leather as it’s been through quite a few rain storms. I find the darker leather or bags like the ones from Goyard hold up better in terms of color in wet rainy areas.
I have received so many questions about my shelfie! The only place in our house that is put together because right now I’m going through tons of boxes trying to find clothes, shoes, skincare etc. If you have more questions let me know. I’ll do a makeup storage post once our house is more put together and I figure out how to organize everything. Details row by row below:
Sisley miniature toners from their Beauty Subscription Program reviewed in depth here (definitely worth the price because you’re basically just paying for shipping!)
Most everything on the blog is edited in Photoshop. For the phone, the three Instagram Apps I use include Afterlight, Snapseed and Planoly. In my recent survey most of you said you were not interested in blogging tips but some mentioned questions about photography, Instagram and editing. If you want a more detailed post on this let me know in the comments. You can download all of these on the App Store on your phone.
Afterlight and Snapseed are my main go-to’s for image editing. I like the functions on Afterlight to change tone, brightness, sharpness and contrast. Snapseed has a lot of tools to edit the perspective if an image has any distortion. It also has a healing function to fill in gaps along the side. The selective tool is amazing for brightening a specific part of the photo you tap, such as a corner or brighten a shadow – this allows you to brighten one part without changing the entire image.
Afterlight
Snapseed
Before and After
Here are a few before and afters, this is just editing for my iPhone photos, blog photos go through a different editing process:
Planoly
Planoly is an Instagram planning tool. It allows me to see how things are going to look from a feed perspective and also helps me plan content. It lets you move unplanned content around so your feed looks a bit more cohesive. If you purchase the paid version you can also see a history of your posts with the times you published them and engagement. The calendar helps give you a bigger picture of how often you’ve posted, what times and historical engagement.
Spring Cleaning Blog Sale
Last but not least, I’m doing some spring cleaning for my closet. I’m selling a bunch of bags, wallets and other leather goods to make way for new items. You can check out my Blog Sale Page here (US only).
I hope you enjoyed this Instagram Roundup! Let me know in the comments if you want to see anything else!
Featured products that were press samples have a * next to them.
I finally have a roundup of my picks from the Chanel Spring-Summer 2018 Collection! I ordered a few items sight unseen from the Chanel website and overall the colors have a summery vibe with lots of brights. I skipped quite a few items as I can’t really pull off greens or yellows very well and some of the lip options seem very bold and red.
Rouge Coco Gloss in 786 Sibylla, 788 Parthenope, 792 Aphrodite and 794 Poppea ($30 each)
Le Vernis in Nuvola Rosa, Verde Pastello and Arancio Vibrante
Up first is my favorite item of the collection which is the Joues Contraste blush in Foschia Rosa. It’s a medium bright coral that brightens the face with a very nice flush. It’s not too dark and not too bright for my skin tone but I do apply with a light hand. It has a soft smooth texture in the US blush formula (non-US countries usually have a baked version for the Chanel blushes). There’s a tiny sheen but it’s pretty much a satiny matte.
Swatch comparisons below to a few other coral/reds:
Next are the lip products. I’m already a fan of the Rouge Coco Gloss formula (other shades reviewed here). They’re cushiony high shine glosses with a sponge applicator. There’s no detectable scent and the shades are so so pretty! I love all the new spring shades although the blue one is pretty much clear. Colors are sheer with a subtle tint of color. Scroll down a little and you will see some swatch comparisons. There are similar options in the existing Rouge Coco Gloss lineup. You might want to shop your stash if you already own some of these.
786 Sibylla soft peach coral
788 Parthenope honey beige shimmer
792 Aphrodite sheer blue
794 Poppea bright coral pink
There are also new shades of Rouge Allure Ink and even though I’ve never had much luck with this formula I still ordered one in Eterea which is a light but bright pink if that makes sense. I’m obsessed with the color although it is very streaky when I apply it. It needs some layering and drying to make it smooth but the color is so good I’m determined to make it work!
Rouge Allure Ink comparison swatches, Cle de Peau Radiant Rouge reviewed here, NARS Lip Cover in Summer Fire swatched here, Sisley Phyto-Lip Twist #2 Baby reviewed here
Last but not least are the Le Vernis nail products. There are four colors total and I bought three. Nuvola Rosa is hands down a must! It’s one of the prettiest baby pinks I’ve ever tried and it has full smooth coverage with 2 coats. Verde Pastello is a fun aqua color I think will be nice for toes but to me this is definitely more of a summer color rather than spring. Arancio Vibrante is a very bright deep orange color and the formula on this is amazing – it’s a one coat wonder, but I still usually always apply 2.
Two coats in each swatch photo. For reference you can see my How I Maintain Hands for Healthy Looking Nails post for my DIY tips and tricks. I don’t wear a lot of nail polish like I used to but I probably get salon manicures once every other month now. The rest of the time I trim and cut myself and paint them on my own.
Quick tip – my favorite brush to apply super pigmented blushes is the Wayne Goss #11 because it’s fluffy enough to pick up color but give a sheer application.
My favorites below, pretty much everything I bought minus the blue and aqua items:
My ABSOLUTE fav items are the Joues Contraste Foscia Rosa and Nuvola Rosa nail polish. I highly recommend both! Most of the collection is limited-edition. You can always see the indicators on the Chanel website if you’re unsure but these days I usually assume most everything is limited-edition.
You can find the Chanel Spring-Summer 2018 collection at counters now. Online at Chanel, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and all other Chanel retailers.
Have you checked out this collection yet? What did you think?
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