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Sabrina

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Spring Face Cleanser Rotation

March 11, 2016

For skincare I think my favorite things to try out are facial cleansers. There’s nothing quite as refreshing as the feeling of having squeaky clean skin. I have sensitive skin that reacts to a lot of products and when it happens it usually happens instantly with a flash of tiny little red bumps that surface everywhere. I need cleansers that are gentle but still effective at getting rid of excess oil and dirt. I have normal combination skin so I look for cleansers that are strong enough to feel like my skin is thoroughly cleansed, doesn’t leave any film but at the same time won’t strip the skin and leave it feeling tight. I have a roundup of face cleansers I think are really good for right now, especially as we transition to spring. A few are tried and true and some others are new to me that I’ve been testing since January. I took these photographs a little over a month ago but wanted to wait and use up a few tubes entirely to see how I felt about them and also which ones I thought I would be repurchasing.

Finding a cleanser depends on so many different things. Skin type is the main deciding factor so if you have normal but sensitive skin like me I think you will find this review most helpful. I probably switch up my cleansing routine more than the average person. I tend to use a different cleanser for morning versus night. Also on full makeup days I like to double cleanse by using a cleansing water or cleansing oil first to remove my makeup. Then I follow with a regular liquid or cream cleanser afterwards to make sure my skin is cleansed all the way. On workout days I find myself giving my face an extra wash – right after I work out and also right before I go to bed because I have this thing about sleeping with clean skin.

I’ll split my recommendations by type and by intensity. I’m a huge wimp when it comes to any kind of tingle for skincare so all of these in this roundup are tingle-free and super gentle.

Up first are the cleansing oils I’ve had in rotation from Tom Ford, Tatcha, SK-II and L’Occitane. For these it’s really hard to pick a favorite because all four are extremely good. I’ve reviewed oils before (a few years ago) and I’m really picky with what I repurchase. As long as an oil doesn’t break out my skin or cause a reaction I’ll use it up entirely because I don’t want it to go to waste. Many leave an emollient film on the skin that I personally don’t like. Others strip the skin. Some others just don’t emulsify well on my skin when you add warm water. A few thoughts on these four:

Shown above from left to right:

  • Tom Ford Purifying Cleansing Oil ($80 for 6.7 fl oz) is the newest cleansing oil that I’ve tried, it just launched this year. Tom Ford Beauty describes this one as having a velvety formula, filled with nutrient-rich natural oils such as Jasmine Flower oil, Evening Primrose oil, Buriti oil, Tamanu oil and botanical extracts such as Panax Ginseng Root Extract and Thistle Fruit Extract, to cleanse and detoxify skin.” It indeed does have a velvety texture and cleanses the skin entirely. It removes all traces of makeup including eyeshadow, although I did not test on mascara because I don’t like oils near my eye area. It is on the purifying side but isn’t stripping. It did leave my skin feeling firm and smooth, but not tight.
  • Tatcha Pure One-Step Camellia Cleansing Oil ($48 for 150 ml / 5.1 fl. oz.) has been reviewed here on The Beauty Look Book before. I would say this is my no-fail go to for cleansing oils. It’s gentle and leaves the skin feeling soft and smooth. It’s non-irritating and melts away all the makeup from your skin when you add warm water to emulsify and massage into the face. I love that they make a well packaged mini versions perfect for travel.
  • SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil ($70 for 8.4 fl oz) is another favorite. This one has the most velvety cushiony texture out of all the ones I’ve tried. It’s just as gentle as the Tatcha but I find the SK-II leaves the skin feeling a bit more moisturized. On days I feel dry this one is best for my skin because it’s not quite as purifying as others but still removes all traces of makeup.
  • L’Occitane Immortelle Cleansing Oil ($32 for 6.7 fl oz) full review here, but quick take is this is one of the most gentle but effective cleansing oils I’ve tried and used up. I really love this one because it’s nourishing and leaves the skin feeling super soft and smooth without any residue.
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Next are more traditional formulas, but as I’ve been testing some new ones I’ve found some really interesting ones that are quite innovative in texture and how they apply on the skin.

Shown above from left to right:

  • Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash ($34 for 4 oz) this is one I’ve used up entirely and I love it. Over the summer I fell in love with the Detox Daily Cleanser because it was good for those super hot humid days. As we transitioned to cooler weather I started using the Gentle Daily Wash and it’s a lot more gentle on the skin. It’s a really good daily mild cleanser that I love for super sensitive skin days. It’s effective enough to use every day multiple times a day without stripping the skin. For me this one is pure love and I will be repurchasing this one. It helps calm down the skin on irritated days.
  • Kate Somerville Exfolikate Cleanser ($38 for 4 oz) is the newest cleanser from the Kate Somerville line. I also used this one up entirely (I just finished it 2 days ago). This one is such a unique cleanser. It has no gritty texture like scrubs do but does contains a mix of glycolic acid and lactic acid along with pineapple, pumpkin and papaya enzymes to exfoliate the skin in a natural way without being harsh or drying. It’s gentle enough to use daily but I like to use this 2-3x per week and alternate with the Daily Wash. It’s super gentle – there has been no irritation or harsh feeling  on the skin. It’s amazing at improving the skin texture without the harsh feeling of a scrub.
  • Algenist Gentle Rejuvinating Cleanser ($25 for 4 oz) is another really good gentle cleanser option. I’m about 80% finished with this one and think it’s yet another incredible discovery. It’s similar in performance to the Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash but the Algenist is a unique cream texture that has a slightly mousse-whipped feel. This is one of the few cleansers I can use 2x a day 7 days a week without feeling like I need to switch up cleansers. It’s gentle as the name implies but does a great job at cleaning the skin.
  • First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser with Red Clay ($24 for 4.7 oz) has been featured on the blog a few times and definitely has reached a favorites spot for me in terms of being one of the best purifying cleansers. It cleans out the pores and the red clay helps draw out excess oil. It helps clear up the skin when I have breakouts. The texture is almost gel-like but still liquid. I think this is a great balancing product for those with normal, combination or oily skin. Right now I can’t use it daily because it’s a tiny bit drying for the weather/season right now – but that’s for my normal combo skin.
  • bareMinerals Clay Chameleon Transforming Purifying Cleanser ($22 for 4.2 oz) is another really good clarifying cleanser. This one is interesting because you apply it directly on dry skin and massage it until the cleanser turns white. It’s a light red color that has a clay-cream like texture. Once you massage it into the skin you rinse with warm water and it cleans the skin entirely. This one is slightly stronger than the one from First Aid Beauty but is still gentle and non-irritating. It leaves the skin feeling firm but not tight. I like this on days I feel oily or after workouts. My husband really likes this one, although his go-to is still the Kiehl’s Facial Fuel.
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Out of all the ones I’ve been testing, I would say that my top two favorites for cleansing oils right now are the L’Occitane and Tatcha with SK-II being close third. I find L’Occitane to be the most soothing and gentle for my skin while Tatcha is a classic staple. The SK-II one is good but the price prevents me from wanting to purchase over and over again although I really really like it. The one from Tom Ford is one of the most purifying ones I’ve tried – I suspect it might be a bit too strong if you have dry skin. It’s definitely a luxurious one but I think you can find other more affordable options that perform just as well.

For the regular cleansers, I’ve been so impressed with Kate Somerville. I can’t rave enough about the line because the skincare just works so well for my sensitive skin. For everyday my favorites are the Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash and Algenist Gentle Rejuvinating Cleansers.

Do you have a favorite cleanser of the moment? I always love hearing about skincare favorites so please share in the comments!
Press samples included from all brands featured above except SK-II. As always all opinions my own.

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Barneys New York

Surratt Beauty Prismatique Lips – Nouveau Riche, Jolie Laide, Chichi, Pailettes and Lili Dorée

March 10, 2016

The Surratt Beauty Prismatique Lips launched sometime last fall ($36 each for 2.36ml/ 0.08oz.) and I picked up a few shades to try out. I’ve been a huge fan of his Lipsliques and Lip Lustres (Hevyn, Soigne and Gamine swatched here) – they are colors I’ve used up entirely but haven’t repurchased due to the steep price points but I do love the formulas. The quality is excellent with good smooth coverage and a voluptuous soft feel. The Prismatique Lips are sparkly lip sheers that contain Japanese reflective pigments for brilliant shine. Even though they are sparkly, the shimmer is done in a refined way to add the prettiest glimmer to the lips without feeling chunky or overly glittery. I have five shades that I purchased, although in playing with the formula, I have all the shades on my wishlist. The colors are sheer but work well with your natural lip tone to give a youthful glowing look to the lips. The Prismatique Lips come in a slim duochrome shimmering tube. It flashes green or purple depending on the light. These are extremely small in size so I do believe the price per oz is on the steep side.

Nouveau Riche is a shimmering nude
Jolie Laide is a taupe violet shimmer
Chichi is a gorgeous shimmering coral pinky peach
Pailettes is a sparkling cool baby pink
Lili Dorée is a soft shimmering peach

These apply similar to the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines in the sense they are no fuss kinds of colors. They have a sheer transparent quality and on the arms they swatch sheer but the color adheres better once on the lips and gives a healthy glow. The texture is smooth and nourishing. Lasting power is like any glossy finish lipstick. The Surratt Prismatique Lips last a decent amount of time on the lips. They won’t disappear or slide off within a few hours, but lasting power won’t be as long as a full coverage lipstick.

Swatches on bare lips (no primer or liner added):

Bottom line all winners for my neutral lip loving self. These give the lips the prettiest wash of shimmer that I’ve seen. I’m all for shimmering lips but I do tend to avoid glitters. The sparkles are beautiful in these and are visible but not over the top. If I had to pick one favorite it would be Chichi. Given the way these have sheer coverage I suspect some of the brighter color options would also look gorgeous on the lips with the bright but sheer finish they have. For the amount of product you get in all the Surratt Beauty items I do think the prices are extremely high, but the quality is there and I haven’t regretted anything I’ve splurged on from the line. As far as I can tell there’s no detectable scent in the lipsticks.

You can find the Surratt Beauty Lipsliques at Barneys New York, Sephora and Net-a-Porter. If you have a few of these or any other Surratt Beauty items on your list I highly recommend you check out the Barneys Love Yourself Event going on through the 12th of March. Details on the gift in this post here. Since Surratt Beauty items are spendy the gift event is a great time to get something back for spending a significant amount. Plus it’s a nice way to treat yourself 🙂

Do you have any Surratt Beauty favorites?

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Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick Roundup and Thoughts

March 9, 2016

After playing with the new Amuse Bouche Lipsticks from Bite Beauty for several weeks now, I have a roundup post with some final thoughts and a list of my top picks. I’ve been a fan of the other lipstick formulas I’ve tried from Bite Beauty and I think the new lipstick formula definitely is the best product they’ve launched to date. Long-time readers know I like colors with shine and some transparency versus the rich pigment full coverage kind of colors since they often look flat, emphasize fine lines and are a nightmare for any dry patches. There have been some exceptions in the last year including the Louboutin Lipsticks, Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution, Marc Jacobs Beauty Le Marc Lip Cremes (to name a few) all of which have somehow managed to launch full coverage lipsticks that look luminous and have depth on the lips. In a world filled with thousands of lipstick options I’m always impressed when a brand manages to create a new and improved formula because at this point it seems like it’s all been done before (but somehow they manage to surprise us). I have been thoroughly impressed with the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche lipstick formula. To sum it up in a few words, all I can say is that it is a really good one. At the time of this post there are already over 1,700 reviews on Sephora.com and they are overwhelmingly positive which I think is huge.

Thoughts on the formula: I have full semi-sensitive lips that usually are prone to dryness with lipsticks. Some of my favorite lipsticks suck out the moisture from my lips and leave them dry and peeling by the second day (ie MAC). When I swatch batches of lipsticks I often have to split up the swatching process because the swiping, wiping, cleaning and reapplying process usually kills my lips. With the Bite Beauty formula, I did swatches over the course of 4 days and my lips were fully intact without any peeling issues. I personally feel this is a good indication that the formula isn’t drying and is indeed hydrating like it’s described. If you have dry lips or any flakes the lipstick will emphasize lines due to the rich pigment and texture – I’d recommend prepping the lips with a primer or balm first. That being said in my experience, these are hydrating but still manage to feel weightless.

Thoughts on the lasting power: I wasn’t able to test all 34 shades for a full day of wear to see how long they lasted. I did test about 7 shades for the lasting power test. I found each color lasted extremely well. All of them lasted remarkably long through several cups of coffee, tea and snacks. The darker shades do seem to have a slightly longer lasting power – the colors give the lips a slight stain so the color lingers longer.
A few other thoughts and tips on how to wear these: I found all the colors to be one-swipe wonders with no pencil needed to tweak colors. However if you find you have lips that can’t really handle full coverage lipsticks well you might want to consider a primer or balm. The only issue with lip balms is they have a lot of slip. Sometimes the emollient texture is good to treat the lips, but when you add color on top it’s prone to sliding off or weakens the lasting power in general. Two products I like to use as primers include the MAC Prep + Prime Lips and Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask. Both will smooth the lip surface and help lipstick apply on the lips more smoothly. I’ve repurchased both a few times now and have no intention of switching to anything else when it comes to lip primers (although if you have any recs I’m open to trying something new but will probably still call these two my all time favorites).

Thoughts on the colors: I think the color selection is really quite good. 34 shades makes for a lot of options to choose from and Bite covered a lot of categories with this launch. All the shades are creams, so there’s no shimmer in any of the options. I think it would be interesting if they did add some pearl finish colors in the future – I’d definitely check them out, but as far as I can remember, I don’t think I recall any of their lipsticks or pencils having any shimmer. All but two of the colors have extremely good application with a smooth streak-free finish. The only two I had slight issues with include Liquorice (it was prone to smudging around the edges for me) and Black Truffle (the sharp contrast made for a slightly patchy application with one swipe, but it was easy to fix but swiping 3-4 times).

Links to the swatches and other posts:

  • All colors arm swatched here
  • Sorbet feature here
  • Neutrals Souffle, Sugarcane, Honeycomb, Meringue, Sake, Pepper and Rhubarb here
  • Cool-Toned Pinks Gin Fizz, Cotton Candy, Dragonfruit, Kimchi, Radish and Sangria here
  • Peach and Browns Verbena, Sorbet, Fig, Chai, Molasses and Nori here
  • Warm Reds and Corals Pickled Ginger, Gazpacho, Persimmon, Cayenne, Gingersnap, Sweet Cream and Maple here
  • Cool-Toned Purples and Plums Spritzer, Eggplant, Jam, Beetroot, Liquorice, Tannin, Sour Cherry and Black Truffle here
There are so many good colors, but if I were pressed to pick my favorites Honeycomb, Meringue, Sake, Pepper, Fig, Sweet Cream are the winners for me. If you’ve picked up any of the colors let me know what you ended up with! If you’re passing on these what’s your favorite lipstick formula or color of the moment?

You can find all 34 shades of Amuse Bouche exclusively at Sephora. I have yet to spot all the colors in store yet – if you’ve seen them please share in the comments! These are permanent so there’s no rush to order colors before they sell out. You will have plenty of time to research reviews or find a store to test these.

The Amuse Bouche Lipsticks were provided courtesy of Bite Beauty for review consideration. Many thanks to the team for kindly sending them to me to play with, I don’t think I’ve had this much fun playing with lipstick in a long time.

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Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick Swatches – Spritzer, Eggplant, Jam, Beetroot, Liquorice, Tannin, Sour Cherry and Black Truffle

March 9, 2016

I have the last batch of the Amuse Bouche Lipsticks ($26 each, Sephora) lip-swatched in the cool-toned purples, plums and blue-based reds. Above left to right includes Spritzer, Eggplant, Jam, Beetroot, Liquorice, Tannin, Sour Cherry and Black Truffle. Out of all the colors, the only shade I had issues with was Black Truffle – but that is probably due to the sharp contrast the color has to my natural lip color. It was the only shade I found slightly patchy in application with one swipe. A few swipes evens out the color though. Swatches and descriptions of the colors:

Shown above from left to right:

  • Spritzer is described as a plum rose, to me it’s a lilac color that has some depth
  • Eggplant is described as a smoky plum, I find it to be a cool-toned purple
  • Jam is described as a rich merlot, it’s a deep berry plum
  • Beetroot is described as a bold berry, this is one of the brighter colors in the cool-toned plum color family, on my lips it looks more pink but doesn’t turn fuchsia
  • Liquorice is described as an oxblood shade, it’s a deep wine color with brown tones, this one had a bit of migrating around the edges on my bare lips, it didn’t slide off, but I found it slightly more emollient than the others
  • Tannin is a described as a poppy red, this one is more of a neutral-warm red on me with slight brick undertones
  • Sour Cherry is described as a maraschino red, I found this to be my perfect deep blue-red and lasting power is phenomenally good with this one
  • Black Truffle is described as a black violet, I think that’s an accurate description, this one frightened my husband when he saw it on me but he did say, “I guess some people might really like a dramatic look” – so there you go, my husband calls this shade “dramatic”
Lip swatches:

All the colors in this particular post are bold cool-tones. All of these are clearly outside of my comfort zone although I found myself smitten with Sour Cherry as the perfect blue-toned cherry red. I’ll have a roundup with final thoughts on this formula in the next few hours. I hope you found these swatches helpful! I’ve done several lipstick swatch posts in the past where I’ve been fortunate enough to receive all the colors in a launch to swatch for you such as the Marc Jacobs Beauty Le Marc Lip Cremes and Buxom Bold Gel Lipsticks. In the past I swatched all the colors in a single post – I know some of you have mentioned it can be hard to see swatches with smaller images for the lip swatches. This time I split up the colors by category into a mini-series with larger lip swatch images. Let me know which format you find easier to follow or if you have a preference!

You can find the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks at Sephora for $26 each.
Lipsticks provided courtesy of Bite Beauty for review consideration.
 
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Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks – Pickled Ginger, Gazpacho, Persimmon, Cayenne, Gingersnap, Sweet Cream, Maple

March 9, 2016

I have two more sets of lip swatches for the Amuse Bouche Lipsticks ($26 each, Sephora). This set includes warm reds and orangey colors – all bright high-impact bolds. Shown in this post are the colors Pickled Ginger, Gazpacho, Persimmon, Cayenne, Gingersnap, Sweet Cream and Maple. All of these performed equally well. The color is rich and opaque and finish is smooth and streak-free. For colors this bold I do find myself needing to even out the edges with a lip brush since there is such a sharp contrast with the color to my natural lip tone. The colors cover the lip entirely with one swipe. I swatched straight from the tube and fixed the edges with a brush to show the full color. I do think some of them look best when blotted slightly – that’s for my own personal taste though. I have very full lips and bright colors tend to make them look bigger and fuller – I need to blot to tone down the color but even with one blot the colors are still very pigmented.

The color descriptions and also how I see them:

  • Pickled Ginger is described as an electric coral, which I find accurate, it has a slight pink undertone to it on my lips
  • Gazpacho is described as a true blue red, on my lips it’s a bright cool-toned red
  • Persimmon is described as an intense red-orange, I find it as described with orange undertone very visible in the finish
  • Cayenne is described as a bright red, this what I’d call a true red
  • Gingersnap is described as a fresh peach, it looks more neutral in the tube, but once it goes on my lips, it looks like a bright almost Miami-peach kind of shade
  • Sweet Cream is described as a muted peach is a deeper and slightly more muted version of Gingersnap (I find Sweet Cream more wearable)
  • Maple is described as a brick red, this is one of the prettiest brick reds I’ve tried that isn’t too brown, but has enough depth to look like a stunning deep red

I rarely ever wear colors as bold as these. I’m a neutral lip lover because it’s what I feel most comfortable in. Out of all these my top two favorites are Sweet Cream and Maple although I am really pleased to see that Bite Beauty launched a number of reds that don’t turn fuchsia on my lips (my lip tends to make reds look blue or bright pink). I put three of these to the test for a full day (Sweet Cream, Pickled Ginger and Maple) lasting power of the colors was excellent. They lasted about as long as Sorbet did (around 4-5 hours without fading). I was pleased to find no bleeding or creeping occurred with the edges of the colors.

I’ll have one last set of swatches and a final roundup soon. Have you picked up any of the bold reds? You can find the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks at Sephora for $26 each.

Lipsticks provided courtesy of Bite Beauty for review consideration.

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Barneys New York Love Yourself Event: March 8 – 12

March 8, 2016

The Barneys New York Love Yourself Event starts today March 8th and runs through March 12th (while supplies last). This is one of the best gift with purchase events for beauty that I’ve shopped over the years. It usually only happens twice a year for Barneys and with any $200+ order in beauty or grooming (cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, men’s or women’s) you get a complimentary gift bag filled with selected Barneys favorites. There are two gift bag options, one for men and one for women – the sampling selection is top notch. I always find great minis to try out and some favorites I like to keep for when I travel. Today I’ve teamed up with Barneys to share the women’s gift along with a selection of some luxury favorites in case you’re in need of recommendations or ideas. The event happens in store and also online – over the past several years I’ve ordered through both methods which have worked equally well. I do recommend you put together your lists and order sooner than later as the gifts usually do run out every year.

Here’s a list of the contents of the women’s gift which comes in a zip cosmetic case. Contents per bag may have a few variations for scent options or colors (as indicated below):

  • Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara 2 ml
  • 3LAB M Cream Ultimate Lift 6 ml
  • Chantecaille Mini Brilliant Gloss 1.5 ml (assorted colors, Lucky shown above)
  • Costume National Parfum in Soul 1.5 ml
  • Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye 3 ml
  • Malin + Goetz Geranium Face Cleanser 15 ml
  • Moroccanoil Fragrance Originale Body Souffle 20 ml
  • Oribe Supershine Moisture Cream 15 ml
  • R & Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo 75 ml/1.6 oz
  • REN Keep Young and Beautiful Beauty Shot 3 ml
  • Ritual Wai Wang Body Scrub 70 ml
  • Bellatora Cellular Renewal Cream 12 ml
  • Tatcha Deep Brightening Serum 10 ml
  • Givenchy Phenomen Eye or Mini Le Rouge 1.5 g
  • La Mer New Lifting Eye Serum 3 ml
  • NARS Audacious Mascara mini 3 ml
  • Byredo Mojave Ghost mini 2 ml
  • Maison Martin Margiela mini spray 1.2 ml (assorted options Sunday Morning or Beach Walk)
  • Rene Furterer Hair Care (assorted options)
  • Raw Spirit mini 1 ml (assorted Desert Blush or Summer Rain)
  • Verso Reviving Eye Mask packet

The men’s grooming bag (not shown) contains:

  • Ulrich Lang NY Fragrance – Lightscape and Nightscape mix 50 ml
  • Byredo Sunday Cologne 1 ml
  • Rituals for Men Magic Shave cream 70 ml
  • Kieh’s Facial Fuel Heavy Lift Moist 7ml DLX
  • La Mer Eye Concentrate
  • Chantecaille Magnolia healing emulsion 8ml
  • Malin + Goetz Grapefruit Face cleanser
  • Aesop Mouthwash
  • Harry’s 4oz Aftershave Moisturizer
  • 3LAB M Cream 6 ml
  • Tatcha Deep Brightening serum
  • Raw Spirit Assorted: Winter Oak or Citadelle
  • Verso Reviving Eye Mask
  • Illuminum Assorted: Tahitian Yuzu Vaporizor, Vetiver OUD, Bergamot Blossom Vaporizor, Phool, Rajamusk Vaporizor, or Hindi OUD, 1.5 ml each
  • Tizian Terenzi Assorted: White Fire or Ecstasy
  • Sisley Botanical D-Tox 2ml
  • Bellatorra Cellular Renewal Cream 12 ml
  • Marital Vivot Shampoo
I’ve rounded up ten luxury items in cosmetics and fragrance featuring some brands almost never go on sale. These kinds of events are the best time to splurge on things like Diptyque, Byredo or even on luxury skincare.

Some of my favorites and a few new recent discoveries featured above:
  1. Frederic Malle Carnal Flower ($74 to $380) is one of my most favorite perfumes of all time. There are several different sizes that you can purchase. The travel sprays come individually for most fragrances or in a set of 3. The set or full size bottles are a better buy price per oz wise but if you just want to try one and see how it wears, I think buying the individual ones are the best way to go. It’s the best tuberose I’ve tried.
  2. Le Labo Travel Trios in Santal 33 ($145 for ml) is my latest perfume splurge. I ordered mine last week because I could not wait for the event. Again I decided to go the travel size route (I’m splitting this one with a friend for her to try one). So far I’m obsessed. It has a mix of sandalwood, virginia cedar, cardamom, violet, papyrus, spices, leather, musk and amber.
  3. Byredo La Selection Perfume Set ($145) this is a discovery set that has an assortment of 6 Byredo scents including Bal D’Afrique, Blanche, La Tulip, Black Saffron, Gypsy Water, Oud Immortel, I’ve had mine since the holiday and love it as a way to explore a number of fragrances without having to splurge on the full size bottle (my favorites are Bal D’Afrique and Black Saffron).
  4. The Laundress Detergent x Le Labo Signature Detergent in Rose ($45, also in Santal) is something I discovered through one of my readers via Instagram, I’ve since purchased and tried both, I prefer the Rose because I think the scent is stronger and more noticeable. It’s a soft sweet rose that I’m obsessed with for washing bed sheets. It’s noticeable but still soft enough that it won’t keep you awake at night.
  5. Diptyque Baies Mini Candle ($32) is a classic, if you’re unsure about buying the full size the travel mini is a good way to ease into the brand.
  6. Byredo Hand Cream in Gypsy Water ($35, also available in Flowerhead, Blanche, La Tulipe and Bal D’Afrique) is as luxurious as hand creams get.
  7. NARS Lip Gloss in Chelsea Girls ($26) is one of my most reached-for peachy nudes these days. I’ll repost a swatch of it below for reference.
  8. Lipstick Queen Seven Deadly Sins in Indolence ($24) is a pretty sheer to medium classic rose pink gloss. It has no detectable scent and has a nice natural healthy color to it.
  9. Surratt Beauty Prismatique Lips in Lili Doree ($36) gives the lips the prettiest wash of shimmer, it’s a peachy shade that makes for a very youthful luminous glow.
  10. Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powders ($38 each) are some of the prettiest powder highlighters I’ve tried. I think all four shades are winners but I’ve been reaching for Brilliant the most. 
  11. By Terry Baume de Rose in Coral Stellar and Mauve Moon (not shown above) are two of the latest tinted lip balm launches from By Terry. The colors are to die for gorgeous and if you were looking to shop these but didn’t want to splurge, the Barneys gift event might be a good time to buy because you get goodies for splurging.

By Terry Mauve Moon and Coral Stellar swatches reposted:

You can find the Love Yourself gift with purchase online and in stores at Barneys New York now through March 12 while supplies last. I recommend ordering soon if you have your eye on anything. The gift bag should be added to your cart automatically as soon as the contents total $200 in beauty (men’s or women’s). Are you ordering anything yet for this event? If you do – please let me know! Would love to hear about what you hauled!

This post was created in partnership with Barneys New York. More information in my disclosures but as always all opinions my own.
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Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks – Verbena, Sorbet, Fig, Chai, Molasses and Nori

March 7, 2016

The next batch of lipstick swatches for the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks includes Verbena, Sorbet, Fig, Chai, Molasses and Nori ($26 each). I’m working my way through posting lip swatches of all 34 shades that just launched at Sephora. Today’s roundup includes some more shades that are kinda in the neutral category but ones with a bit of kick and color. For quick reference in case you missed the previous posts, these lip swatches are simply that – just swatches of the colors on my lips. For the full review on formula, lasting power, texture, pigment etc, see this post here.

Colors and how they appear on my skin (in the lip swatches below I’m wearing the NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint in St. Moritz):
  • Verbena is described as a rose terracotta online, it’s a warm peach that pulls orangey on my lips, I can see how they might describe it having a bit of rose since it’s not a true orange
  • Sorbet is a watermelon pink, full feature on this shade in this post here (you can also see lasting power demonstrated by a fresh swatch, and another swatch 5 hours later)
  • Fig is a muted soft nude rose, you can see the original vs. new formula swatched here, this is a good pinky rose for those who want something natural and pinky but don’t want a pale shade
  • Chai is described as a mauve brown, to me it’s not quite mauvey – it’s more of a warm brown with a hint of pink/brick undertones – do note I pull a lot of red in lip colors so Chai will most likely appear more neutral on you and less red
  • Molasses is described as a rich toffee, I agree with this assessment, it’s a neutral medium brown shade on the lips, there’s no hint of pink or red
  • Nori is a deep brown red, it’s almost a vampy color but it has enough red and lightness to it that it’s not too dark, it’s still very deep in undertone though

You can probably guess which ones are my favorite in this roundup: Fig, Sorbet, Verbena and Chai. I do think Fig and Sorbet are very similar and if you’re trying to decide between the two, go for Sorbet if you like brighter shades. If you want something safer and slightly more muted, Fig is the safe no fail color.

You can find the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks at Sephora for $26 each.
Lipsticks provided courtesy of Bite Beauty for review consideration.
 
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