Marc Jacobs Beauty just recently launched the beauty line at Neiman Marcus. It appears they have the full line of products online, I haven’t spotted anything in store yet, but I suspect it will launch in a few select locations to start (if you’ve spotted it at your local Neimans please share in the comments!). As a huge fan of Marc Jacobs Beauty I was thrilled to find a new eyeshadow palette in the Style Eye-Con No. 7 called The Social Butterfly ($59 for 7 g/0.247 oz) which is exclusive to Neiman Marcus. I ordered it as soon I saw it and it made a quick sneak peek appearance on my Instagram here. Today I have swatches + thoughts to share. As a neutral eyeshadow lover this one does not disappoint and conservative eyeshadow wearers will be happy to know it’s glitter-free. The pigment is super rich and soft with this one, similar in texture to many of the other Style Eye-Con No. 7 Palettes. There is a slightly powdery kick up with these shades when you dip your brush into the palette, but the colors apply easily on the lids, blend well and they stay put.
I will call this a neutral warm smokey eyeshadow palette, althought it has a few cool-toned colors. The overall effect gives a unique natural eye look but you can use the darker shades to intensify the color for a more soft smoldering dramatic effect. Urban Decay Naked Smoky pulled on the cool-side for me overall. The Social Butterfly by Marc Jacobs Beauty is a warmer smokey palette and has a more conservative feel. It comes in a small buttoned pouch just like the other palettes. I don’t store them in these but they are nice to have if you travel, it will keep the outside from getting scratched if it’s stored in a travel bag with other makeup items.
The colors from left to right in the palette are:
Matte cream, this is a shade lighter than my natural skintone, it works as a good evening base color, or you can use it as the last step to softly buff any harsh edges from other shades
Matte tan, this looks neutral, it pulls a bit warm on me, but it’s not orangey or too warm, pigment is excellent
Shimmering golden sand, this one has slight olive tones (very very slight) in it, I suspect it pulls that way because of my olive skin, on the eyes it pulls more true to pan
Soft shimmering lavender, most readers know I am not a fan of light purples on my eyes, they often look odd on my skin and give me a pink-eye look but this one is so so beautiful, it’s a soft shade that I think is my favorite, it adds a pop of color to the eyes in a pretty and unexpected way
Shimmering warm taupe, my favorite kind of eyeshadow color, this one is stunning
Matte brown, this one is best used with a detail brush, it blends well, but if you dip a large shadow brush and try to blend, it will look blotchy
Dark intense black with tiny flecks of gold shimmer, also best used with a detail brush
Close ups and then swatches:
Bottom line a classic that I will get regular use out of. It’s a very pretty neutral palette that will give a natural smokey eye look. It’s easy to use and layer the colors together. You don’t need use all seven shades at once, I usually use 5 colors at the most, but layering them does allow you to add depth and more dimension. Although this is different from the Dior Eye Reviver palettes (reviewed here and here), I can’t help but feel that Marc Jacob’s The Social Butterfly is what I wanted those palettes to be. I highly recommend that you check it out. I like that the colors are all neutrals and that each color looks distinctly different on the eyes. With some neutral palettes all the colors can often look the same once swatched.
For quick reference if you’re new to Marc Jacobs Beauty, here are a few other reviews I’ve done in the past linked below including all the Style Eye-Con No. 7 Palettes I own (or you can click the Marc Jacobs Beauty tag at the bottom of this post).
This spring Diptyque and French fashion designed Olympia Le-Tan have partnered to launch a special limited-edition candle for Valentine’s Day called Rosaviola ($35-$67). Each spring I look forward to the new rose-themed candles for the fun packaging designs and this year’s is the best one yet. Everything about this launch is beautiful, feminine and romantic from the pink boxes, pink glass jar, canvas print sticker label, fun illustrations to the Diptyque emojis. There are the cutest little match cases that have a magnetic enclosure – inside the matches are covered with the Diptyque x Olympia Le-Tan prints. I found mine at the boutique at South Coast Plaza, check your local boutique to see if they still have any left.
There are several items in the Valentine’s Day collection, several of the items have already sold out at a few places. I had to search quite a few retailers to find the mini candle – I think this is the first year they have offered the limited-edition rose as a small version.
Rosaviola Solid Perfume ($50 – seems to be sold out everywhere online)
In addition, there are some Eau Rose items that have been repromoted but come with the Olympia Le-Tan packaging. I picked up multiples of the candles in both sizes. It smells of sweet roses and violets with really good throw. It’s a girly scent that I’ve been absolutely smitten with. It’s not too girly that it bothers my husband, but I don’t think he would choose to burn it in his office (he likes Mousses and Cuir).
The packaging this year is a frosted baby pink glass jar with an embroidered canvas label that has the letters of Rosaviola embroidered in shades of pink, red and purple. There’s also a little canvas lip-shaped print on the candle itself. The canvas appears to be solid and the adhesive is pretty strong. That being said, if you recycle the candles and rinse the remnants of wax out with warm water and soap, you will need to be careful not to get the canvas wet to keep it pristine.
A look at the box – I die for the prints inside!
Inside the boutiques the Olympia Le-Tan prints covered the windows with the cutest stickers:
A look at the regular standard size versus the mini. The mini ones have sold out everywhere I looked in store, but you might be able to track one down. It appears to have sold out online everywhere except Space NK. I would say hands down if you’re debating which size to purchase, get the standard regular size. The mini is cute and nice to have, but in this case I think you will fall in love with the scent and the larger size will last longer (burn time is listed as approximately 60 hours while the small one is 20 hours, I haven’t actually timed the burn time on any candle though).
A look at the past few years of spring launches from Diptyque, I’m still crying over the fact that I missed out on Rose Duet years ago. Rosamundi was launched a few times, shown below is the 2014 launch. Last year’s version for 2015 was Rosafolia. This year the spring 2016 version is Rosaviola.
Bottom line, the collection is well worth a look. I can’t get over how incredibly cute the packaging is. I wish Diptyque sold the matches as I would haven’t hesitated to purchase them to give out as gifts for my girl friends this Valentine’s Day.
It’s nothing but pure love for this one. I know Diptyque candles come with a hefty price tag, but in my experience they are worth every penny. This one is an absolute must whether it’s to gift to a loved one or to treat yourself. You can recycle the jars after they finish burning for a wide variety of uses (brush holders, pen holders, flower vases etc.).
Bottom line love and I don’t think you should miss this one.
There are quite a few new items launching this spring from Tom Ford Beauty. There appear to be mini product launches versus a full seasonal collection release. I did some major hauling over the past few weeks and have thoughts + swatches of my picks to share today. Shown above and swatches of what I picked up below:
First up are new eyeshadow quads. The good news is that there are new eyeshadow quad colors in Disco Dust, Honeymoon, Last Dance, Starry Night and Lilac Dream. The bad news is that some like Cognac Sable are being discontinued. I picked up two of the new quads, the neutral warm ones in Disco Dust and Honeymoon. I had to call around to several stores to track down Honeymoon a couple weeks ago. I heard these are permanent so even though Honeymoon seems to be sold out for now, it should be available for purchase when they restock.
Both quads pull very warm on me. They also have shimmer in them which is absolutely stunning. Disco Dust has a cool silvery mauve sparkle, a warm satiny tan, a copper peach shimmer and a dark plum brown shimmer. Two of the shades are very similar to NARS Hammamet Eyeshadow Duo (swatched here) so if you’re not a fan of glitter, you may want to check out the NARS.
Honeymoon is one of the warmest eyeshadow quads I own. It has a shimmering tan, shimmery copper bronze, reddish auburn shimmer and reddish plum. This one pulls very warm on my eyes but it’s still very wearable if I layer and blend it and use the two darker shades along the lash line smudged. If you are very fair this one will pull a lot more red on your skin compared to me. On deeper tan skintones, I think this one will look absolutely amazing on.
Swatch comparisons to Charlotte Tilbury The Dolce Vita (another warm quad I have) and Tom Ford Orchid Haze. In terms of neutral quads, Orchid Haze is one of my favorite everyday neutral palettes from Tom Ford.
Quick eye swatch/look of Disco Dust:
There are two scents launched for early spring called Soleil Blanc. Since I was a huge fan of the Shimmering Body Oil from last year, I picked up both the fragrance and oil. I think I could have skipped the Soleil Blanc Shimmering Body Oil, although it smells amazing. I prefer the fragrance simply because it’s stronger and I feel like it’s not as messy as the shimmering body oil. Also this year’s oil seems to be more emollient than last year’s which I found absorbed quickly into the skin. This one has a lingering feel that isn’t greasy, but definitely noticeable, almost like it’s slightly sticky. For both of these, there isn’t much I could find online to describe the notes except that it has floral combined with amber.
Soleil Blanc Eau de Parfum is a white floral. I don’t find amber notes to be very strong – but when I smell it closely, I can see how there is some blended in because this isn’t an overly powdery floral. It’s a warmer weather scent but I’m completely obsessed with it right now. The Soleil Blanc is what I wanted the Guerlain Terracotta fragrance from a few years ago to smell like (which I found too strong and too floral last time I smelled it).
Next up are one hit and one miss for me. I had very high hopes for the Lip Color Shine in SS16 and Shade and Illuminate in SS16. I almost never try lip color testers at the counters because they are loaded with germs, so I bought the Lip Color Shine without trying it on the lips. On the hands it swatched like a gorgeous glossy nude. On my lips it looks like concealer.
Last but not least is the new Shade and Illuminate in SS16. This is the first Shade and Illuminate product I’ve tried from Tom Ford even though there are two other shades. This is a sheer dewy cream illuminator duo. The texture is very dewy and glossy for a natural sheen. I don’t think it will be everyone’s cup of tea since it’s on the dewy side. I like using this as a base for powder blushes or bronzers because it gives the skin a natural glow from within look. If you have oily skin you many want to proceed with caution on these. On my skin this gives a barely there glow. I actually still prefer the Edward Bess All Over Seduction highlighters (they are my holy grail cream highlighters), so if you want something more versatile and more visible, check out the Edward Bess ones instead.
There’s lots to explore from Tom Ford right now. I believe there is a mix of permanent and limited-edition items. I suspect the SS16 items are all limited, but the quads are reported to be permanent. Also new from Tom Ford includes a new Purifying Cleansing Oil that I’ve been testing (review soon). It looks like new items for lips and eyes that just launched online including Cream Colors for Eyes, Patent Finish Lip Colors and High Definition Eye Liners.
Out of the items I reviewed on the blog today, I would say that my top picks are the Soleil Blanc Eau de Parfum, Disco Dust Quad and SS16 Shade and Illuminate Duo. The SS16 Lip Color Shine doesn’t work for me by itself – I suspect it can be easily fixed with a deeper lipliner like MAC Boldly Bare or Subculture though. Honeymoon is all kinds of gorgeous – but does pull dark and warm on me. It’s very pretty on but I prefer Disco Dust.
Have you checked out the new items from Tom Ford yet? Some pieces have sold out on different sites so if you’re shopping online you may have to order from multiple places.
Eyeshadow Quads can be found at all Tom Ford retailers such as Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus.
The Soleil Blanc Eau de Parfum appears to be exclusive to Neiman Marcus at the moment.
This year Formula X has launched a special series of colors called #ColorCurators. They’ve teamed up with 10 major digital influencers in beauty, fashion, and wellness to design a series of customized nail polishes with a new trio of polish colors launching each month. The first collaboration features shades inspired by fashion blogger Aimee Song from Song of Style. I picked up the three shades from my local Sephora before they sold out in stores. The colors are limited-edition but you can still find them online at Sephora ($12.50 each).
The three shades in this collection include three cream colors:
A Girl’s Best Friend is a pastel pink
Mintfluencer is a pastel mint cream
Nude for You is a beige tan nude
When it comes to pastel creams, I think formulas and application can be tricky for any brand. So many pastels look chalky or are difficult to apply smoothly if you want full opaque coverage. Many go on splotchy with the first coat, some even out with the second, but a lot require a super steady hand and I avoid them because they are frequently high maintenance to get even coverage. I was thrilled to find that the colors from the FormulaX ColorCurators collaboration this month have good smooth coverage and were not streaky. The first coat with all of the shades is on the thin side and will look a tiny bit streaky. The second coat smooths out color perfectly without any issues. The key is to let the first coat dry completely though. If it’s still wet when you put on the second coat, the brush will drag the color and make it look blotchy. I have quick swatches of each shade to share in case you’ve been wondering about them.
A Girl’s Best Friend is a pastel pink. I do think this one requires a bit more care to apply simply because of the formula. It can look messy if you get this one in the cuticles, so I recommend cleaning the nail well and making sure your cuticles are trimmed before applying. I like using the FormulaX System with these polishes because it works really well to get smooth coverage and extend the wear of their polishes.
Next up is Mintfluencer. I’ve mentioned numerous times on this blog that I think mint colors are hard to pull off for nails for my yellow/olive skin. If it has too much yellow or green undertone it can make my hands look sallow. If it’s too pale, it ends up looking chalky and well, too pastel. FormulaX Mintfluencer has a really good mix of blue and enough color that it makes for a really fun true mint cream manicure. It surprised me how much I like it.
Another look in direct sunlight:
Last but not least is Nude For You which has a gorgeous mix of beige nude. It gives the hands a clean polished look. I think this one is my favorite of the three. Shown with two coats below:
For colors that might be seemingly basic, I give all three a huge thumbs up for color and formula. Lasting power on these polishes is very impressive – they last at least 7 days without tip wear or chipping although they absolutely need a top coat to help protect the polish. Pastels have been done a million times over, but I think creating the right mix of color and pigment is difficult to pull off in order for a pastel polish to be naturally flattering on the skintone without looking chalky. FormulaX has nailed it (no pun intended) with these colors. The shade Nude for You is absolute perfection in terms of being a true beige nude that give will the hands a nice polished look and still give it life. It has enough tan in it so it won’t make the hands look corpse-like or sallow. Mintfluencer is such a fun mint cream, the fact that I find it wearable for me is huge since I’m not a big fan of mint colors for nails in general. If there was one color I would say might be ok to pass on it’s A Girl’s Best Friend. It’s a really pretty soft girly pink cream, but I think can be easily duped with other shades from OPI or Essie. Still it’s a wearable soft pink shade that I think will be a classic.
You can find the Formula X Color Curators shades exclusively at Sephora. I checked a couple stores this past week and both were completely sold out of the shades. Your stores might still have them in stock but you can still find them online at Sephora.com right now.
Have you checked out these colors yet? What did you think?
I just recently discovered Natasha Denona’s makeup line thanks to Beautylish. Her makeup line has been all the rage on social media lately and rightly so. I had the privilege of meeting her in person at IMATS Los Angeles earlier this month and got a sneak peek at the full line. I’ve been testing some of her products for the past month now and have a first look today at her Glowing Skin System. Right now Beautylish carries the items focused around glowing skin. They will carry her full line of makeup by the end of February including eyeshadows, blushes, lipsticks and more.
The Glowing Skin System is a five-piece set that includes selected products, all formulated by Natasha to give your skin a natural-looking glow. The set also includes a bonus brush.
Body Glow (three options available in Light, Medium and Dark)
Based on my skin preferences, the Beautylish team sent me a few items to try. After seeing the line in person at IMATS, I later purchased three more items to test out and compare. First up are some thoughts on the primers. It was recommended that I try the Anti-Shine Flawless Face Base ($55, c/o). Let me preface by saying I am not a primer kind of person. I think primers can make a huge difference in the way foundation lasts and applies, but in general I don’t like the added layer of product on my skin because it usually feels too thick. The Anti-Shine Flawless Base feels like a gel formula and glides evenly over the skin. It feels slightly thick when you blend onto the skin, but once it sets it’s not thick and smooths out the skin. It doesn’t make the face look matte but it helps prevent shine and with the Face Glow Foundation it helped extend wear and did reduce shine throughout the day (compared to when I tested it without the primer). I liked that it didn’t clog pores or irritate my skin. I haven’t tested it with other formulas of foundation though.
At IMATS I tested the Face Glow Hydrating Primer Underbase ($35) and it felt amazing so I ordered it the next day. It’s almost like a cushiony moisturizer and it feels incredible on the skin. It reminds me of a more emollient version of the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream. This one is definitely best for those with dry skin. Right now I have normal combination skin. I tested this on several occasions and found it too rich and moisturizing for my skin type. It’s going to be regifted to one of my friends who has super dry skin.
I was matched sight unseen to the Face Glow Foundation ($42, c/o) in Shade 30. You can see the color face chart online at Beautylish which I think is super helpful. When I apply it, the color looks just the a bit too light, but once it sets it darkens just the slightest bit so it’s a fairly good match. I can also fix this with a slightly darker powder. I checked out the next two shades in 40 and 42 while at IMATS. 40 was too pink and 42 was too dark. I’m in that skintone transition phase right now, so I don’t have a 100% exact match, but I can make 30 work without too much extra effort.
The Face Glow Foundation has SPF15. It comes in a pump tube and to me feels like an in between BB cream and CC cream. It is on the thick side, similar to that of the Chanel CC Cream, but has a sheerer finish. The finish is sheer to medium. It’s not so sheer that it’s invisible. It does even out the skin but I would say this is best for those with near perfect skin. As the name implies this is a glowy kind of product. One of the more glowy ones I’ve tried lately. I found it absolutely necessary to set with powder. On my normal combo skin, it did get a bit too dewy by 2 pm for my taste. More dewy than other foundations.
This one is perfect for going out at night if you have a special date night or want to look fresh and glowy. For everyday, I prefer something with more coverage and less dewy. Your mileage may vary – there are lots of customer reviews on Beautylish which I always find helpful.
I did some swatch comparisons when I did the review on the NARS Velvet Skin Tint (c/o). I’ve reposted here for quick reference:
Next up are the glow products. I love a good glow – there’s something about shimmery makeup that always gets me. There are three glow products for face and body. There are three shades for each one in Light, Medium and Dark. First up is the Face Glow Cream Shimmer Stick in Light 01 ($42, c/o) which is a champagne pearl cream. It comes in a twist up stick and gives a very glowy gleam to the skin. Out of the all the items I tried, I had the highest hopes for this, but am sad to report it did not work for me. This gives the skin a beautiful sheen and I love the color. The effect for my personal taste is simply too glowy – it makes the skin almost look wet. Even if I set with a powder on top (whether it’s a setting powder or powder highlighter) for me this one is just too glowy. If you read other reviews it has been very well received and raved about. I may be in the minority in my opinion on this one. The shimmer is fine and smooth (not frosty or glittery). It doesn’t emphasize pores. I just didn’t like the way this looked on my skin. I tried it multiple ways under foundation, over foundation, over blush, on cheekbones, on the eyes.
A quick shot next to the powder in Light 01 – you can see they are the same color:
Next up are the All Over Glow Face and Body Shimmer Powders ($38 each). Beautylish sent me Light 01 (c/o) which is one of the prettiest champagne shimmers I’ve tried. The powder is on the shimmery side but I don’t find it overly frosty. Pigment is excellent and easy to blend. It makes the skin glow to perfection. After playing with these at IMATS I fell in love with both the Medium 02 and Dark 03 and ordered them immediately. I love shimmer powders and these are amazing. I live for flesh toned shimmers and it’s hard to find ones that are tan or deep, somewhere in between a straight champagne or pure bronze. I think these are definitely worth a look. After playing with these, I still think Light 01 is the best for me, but Medium 02 gives my skin a slightly golden bronzey sheen. Dark 03 is definitely too dark for me to wear on the cheeks. I can wear it with a super light hand. I actually really like it on the eyes.
Swatches of each, left swatch is with a light hand, right swatches are heavier:
Next up is the Body Glow ($55, c/o) which also comes in three shades Light, Medium, and Dark. I have light shown below. I didn’t get a chance to see the other shades at IMATS (too many other distractions to play with). This gives the skin a luminescent glow. I applied it heavily in the swatch below next to Charlotte Tilbury’s Supermodel Body Shimmer. Once you blend on the skin, both of them dry to the same naturally glowy finish. I would say the one from Charlotte Tilbury has sparkles that are slightly larger and more visible while the one from Natasha Denona has a very similar effect but more fine shimmer. I’m not one who wears body shimmer products frequently (maybe I should start) but this one is very pretty and natural looking. It dries quickly so there’s little to no transfer to loose clothing. For me this is nice to have, but not necessary.
Last but not least, the Natasha Denona Glowing Skin System from Beautylish comes with a bonus brush. I think the option may vary per set. I was sent the Brush #22 (c/o) which is a foundation brush. It’s a flat top brush that is very soft and dense. I actually prefer this one for the powder highlighters. It picks up just the right amount of product and applies powder perfectly to the face. I didn’t expect much from it since I’m usually not a fan of flat top brushes (they almost always end up feeling like the poke my face), but this one is insanely smooth at the top and feels amazing. It’s not available separately on Beautylish yet, but I hope they will launch it soon.
Close ups:
If you’re looking for a makeup base collection to give you some serious glow, the Natasha Denona line is definitely worth a look. Out of all the items I tried, my top picks are the Face Shimmer Powders in Light and Medium and the Brush #22. Of course you don’t need to use the entire system – the pieces are nice to incorporate into your everyday routine or nice to add for a bit more glam and glow for an evening look. There’s been a lot of buzz about Natasha’s line and I’ve been watching videos to try and decide what lip colors to try out. I have been testing one of her blush duos and an eyeshadow palette. I hope to have a review up soon on both.
Have you tried anything from Natasha Denona? If yes, what do you recommend? You can find the Glowing Skin System now at Beautylish. The rest of her line is expected to launch there by the end of February.
Glowing Skin System sent courtesy of Beautylish indicated by c/o, Face Powders in Medium and Dark and the Hydrating Primer purchased by me.
The spring collection this year from NARS is called Nouvelle Vogue and for neutral makeup lovers there are quite a few items to fall in love with. I have four items to share a review of today for eyes, lips and cheeks. The colors I picked out are soft and glowy that will give a really lovely fresh-faced natural look.
From top to bottom:
Hammamet Eyeshadow Duo ($35, limited-edition) is soft satiny warm tan combined with a shimmering copper tan rose kind of shimmer, on my medium-olive skin this is too warm/dark by itself, but when layered with other shades it makes for a really great transitional blending kind of color, I have a hard time wearing any kind of copper color because they often pull orangey on me. Hammamet doesn’t pull orangey but it does pull very warm. I like layering this with Cordura and Alhambra Duos.
Impassioned Powder Blush ($30) is the perfect natural light mauve pink blush, most mauves darken on my skin but this one is on the lighter side so when it warms up, it still remains a natural light pink mauve on my skin
Instant Crash Lip Gloss ($26, limited-edition) is a shimmering nude which is absolutely perfect, I thought I owned a lot of colors like this one, but none of the ones I looked at had the same beige undertone with shimmer mixed in, I need to back this one up because it’s limited-edition
Vida Loca Lip Gloss ($26, limited-edition) is a peachy pink cream, to me it has a similar effect to the Chelsea Girls Lipgloss (swatched here), this new one for spring is slightly deeper and brighter, you do need a flawless lip surface or else it will emphasize dry patches/lines
Some close ups, swatches and comparisons, up first is Hammamet Duo:
I give Instant Crash Lip Gloss and Impassioned Blush a huge thumbs up. Vida Loca is gorgeous in color but the formula can be a bit tricky to work with if your lip isn’t perfectly smooth (it’s a good layering color though). Hammamet is different from anything I’ve seen from NARS before. On my skintone it pulls too warm to pull off by itself, but when layered with other shades looks really pretty. If you own Honey Lust from MAC or the new Tom Ford Quad I think you can skip this duo.
I’m still in new year mode mentally but it’s already almost February! Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. I’ve rounded up some Valentine’s Day gift inspiration whether you’re looking for something to hint for, treat yourself with or gift to girl friends. I’m a sucker for pink sunglasses and there are quite a few to choose from right now. J.Crew just launched a sunglass shop and I love the imagery on their site!
Charlotte Tilbury just launched two new lipsticks that are exclusive to her site called Between the Sheets and Kiss Chase. I just ordered them and can’t wait to see them in person. They look so feminine and girly.
For spring Diptyque launched the Rosaviola candle and it’s to die for. How cute is the pink?! It comes in two sizes and unfortunately the small one has been so popular it has sold out almost everywhere (I couldn’t find it anywhere in stores near me). You can still find some online at Space NK (at least as of this morning). Full review soon.
If you have a sweet tooth and need a quick pick-me-up, Sugarfina has some of their best selling candies in the prettiest pink packaging for Valentine’s Day. You can’t go wrong with any of them. My top three favorites are the Strawberries, Peach Bellinis and Champagne Gummies. (Not shown above, but they also have some cute items for Chinese New Year!)
Hope you enjoy the roundup of some other ideas. I have this bag on my wishlist in the mini size. I told myself I would not buy anymore small bags because this one is just so pretty. We’ll see how long I can resist.
