Some deals and sales you can shop today. I’m waiting for Cyber Monday for the deals, but in case you’ve had your eye on something and don’t want to wait for the sales, here are some you can shop right now:
First Aid Beauty – 30% off Friends and Family with code FABFAM15 at checkout (excludes skincare kits and holiday sets), valid through 11/22, free shipping on orders over $50
Unfortunately this excludes sets, but there are still a lot of good individual items, the Ultra Repair Instant Oatmeal Mask has been a lifesaver for me this week, my skin freaked out and this helped calm everything down
Giorgio Armani Beauty – 20% off purchases $75 or more plus free standard shipping, valid until 12/8 at 12:00 AM PST
YSL Beauty – 20% off purchases $75 or more plus complimentary shipping and 2 deluxe samples, if you spend $150 or more, you will receive an additional YSL Signature Brush Set
If you haven’t tried the glossy stains, you need to! Swatches of the Pop Water Glossy Stain Lip Colors in this post here
Have a great weekend! If you know of any other good weekend sales, let me know in the comments.
The most stunning lip palette I’ve ever seen arrived from Beautylish earlier this week and of course in the blink of an eye it sold out on their website. The By Terry Gold Jewel Lip Kiss Palette ($118) is quite the splurge but has all the right colors of red, coral and pink to give the perfect glam look this holiday season. It is a limited-edition piece, so once it’s sold out, it’s gone for good. At the time of this post, it’s sold out on Beautylish, but you can still find it Barneys New York, Net-A-Porter and Space NK. If this is something you’ve been eyeing I suggest you act fast. Because it’s too good to not share, I have swatches and photos of the palette. It is a pricey investment but incredibly stunning with high quality long-wearing lipstick colors and the glosses are ultra smooth and hydrating on the lips.
Before I get into the review, a quick note on other By Terry launches this season. She has released several gorgeous luxury pieces for holiday including the Gold Elixir Glacé ($225) an illuminating skin-enhancing and smoothing face product, Gold Baume de Rose Trio ($339) 3 shimmering light special-edition Baume de Rose pots of white, yellow, and rose gold shimmer and a Baume de Rose Parure ($31) shimmering Baume de Dose ornament. Do note they are all limited-edition. I have been really intrigued by the Gold Elixir Glacé but haven’t been to a counter to test in person yet. I hope to check it out this weekend, fingers crossed that it is still in stock somewhere by then.
The Gold Jewel Lip Kiss Palette comes in a plum-brown pouch and a large rectangular mirrored compact. There is a double-sided lip brush in the compact which is actually usable and decent quality. Most lip palettes I’ve tried have brushes that are pretty much useless, so it was nice to see a good on in this kit. There are five high-pigment lipsticks and five lip lacquers that have a balmy feel. The lipsticks are creams while the lacquers have some shimmer.
The top row has lipsticks which are semi-matte in finish. They are super rich in pigment and have a bit of shine when you apply them, but they dry to a velvety finish. Still once dry they don’t look like they are dry, they give the lips a nice healthy glow of color. Being super pigmented they do require precise application. I’m not the best at applying bright or dark lipsticks evenly, if you’re like me you probably want to line and blend lipliner around the edge of your lips first. The colors do have a soft vanilla scent about the same strength as MAC and Tom Ford Lipsticks. It’s noticeable but not strong and after a little bit the scent did fade.
The colors in the top row are lipsticks, shade descriptions from left to right:
Red with a blue-pink undertone
Bright blue-based pink
Bright red with a blue-base
Orange red that pulls very bright
Deep red with neutral-cool undertones
The glosses in the second row are sheer to medium in coverage. They feel ultra plush on the lips. The shimmery ones are smooth in finish. Colors from left to right:
Sheer light beige (goes on my lips clear)
Sheer jelly fushcia (goes on pretty much clear on my lips)
Bright coral red shimmer
Cool-toned pink with silver shimmer
Shimmering neutral beige-tan
Swatches on my Chanel Beige 30/40 skin, you may want to check out the swatches on Beauty Professor as well, she and I are almost identical in skintone, right now she’s a bit more tan than I am, but we usually are around the same shades in foundations:
Two more views of the palette to try and show the difference in undertone for each of the reds, here is the palette without flash and in indoor light:
Palette in outdoor direct sun with flash:
Top row of lipsticks swatched on me:
Bottom row of glosses swatched:
One more shot below:
My overall assessment is that this is indeed a stunning palette, especially for the holiday season. I’m not usually a red-lip wearer but I have been incorporating more color into my daily makeup wear. The best thing about this palette is that it has a diverse range of reds with different undertones. Each lipstick color is distinct enough that you can see the difference between each shade. Having a palette allows you to mix the colors and layer them together to get different depths or shine with the gloss. Lasting power of the lipsticks is quite impressive. They do leave a stain on the lips so when I was swatching these, I was particularity happy to have some of the Bite Beauty Lip Wipes from the Discovery Set on hand.
Another pro is the reds go on exactly the same color you see in the compact. So many reds turn color on me which makes it so hard for me to find good reds (a lot turn fuchsia and look completely different on my lips compared to what I see in the tubes). The lipsticks in the By Terry Gold Jewel Lip Kit are true-to-pan.
I will say that my holy grail perfect red is still the Rouge Louboutin Silky Satin lipstick. There is something magical in that color that makes it perfect and I haven’t found anything close in any other lipstick I’ve tried. A close second is the Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Creme in Miss Scarlet for a bold but true red.
All that being said, I will be getting a lot of use out of this palette with the events of the upcoming holiday season. The colors can be toned down if you blot lightly rather than apply with a brush or fingers. The gloss helps sheer out color as well. If you’re a nude-neutral lip lover, check out my post on Rosy and Red Tinted Lip Balms that are more forgiving and have a more natural finish. One of my favorite red balms is from By Terry which is her Baume de Rose Nutri-Couleur in Bloom Berry.
Bottom line stunning.
The By Terry Gold Jewel Lip Kiss Palette retails for $118. Currently available at Barneys New York, Net-A-Porter and Space NK. You may want to keep checking in at Beautylish too in case they restock it. Since it’s limited-edition, I do suggest you track one down sooner than later so you don’t miss out.
The By Terry lip palette was provided as a press sample for review consideration. All opinions my own.
This holiday season there are so many cute beauty gifts and sets. In case you’re looking for a festive beauty gift that comes in cute packaging to save time on wrapping, I’ve rounded up some cute ideas that I call quick and easy gifts. You can pick up multiples without breaking the bank and have some on hand for last minute gifting. They can also make cute stocking stuffers or add-ons to something like a chic book, a bouquet of flowers or baked goods.
This Christmas, Charlotte Tilbury brought back her Mini Lipstick Charm Set again this year which is good because even though they are uber tiny, they are so so cute. Swatches of Bitch Perfect and Penelope Pink in this post here.
L’Occitane never disappoints for gifting any time of year really. Year over year I buy most of my gifts from them because it never fails to make friends and family happy. There are so many good Hugs & Kisses Hand and Lip Duos this year. My favorite is the Pierre Hermé Jasmin-Immortelle Neroli which surprised me because I love Jasmin scents for the home, but rarely like to wear them. The Pamplemousse-Rhubarbe duo is perfect for any grapefruit/citrus scent lover. Other classics include the Shea Butter and Delightful Rose.
Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope your week is going well so far. A few things I’m loving right now, especially since the weather seems to have shifted overnight here in Southern California. It’s still relatively warm compared to most parts of the US, but we’ve had some rain, lots of wind and dry weather. My skin has definitely felt the impact and my lips and skin have felt dry so I’ve needed to switch things up.
For lips I’ve been loving the Amore Pacific Moisture Bound Lip Treatment that I picked up from Sephora. It comes in a sleek little squeeze tube and has an angled applicator so you can apply it without using fingers. It’s hydrating and feels lush on the lips. I’ll give an update later as I’m testing a few new lip treatments. Also great for dry skin is the Amore Pacific Moisture Bound Oil-Free Essentials Set (not shown). I bought this a couple months ago and loved the items but found them too hydrating when we had super warm and humid weather in the high 80s (I thought fall weather would never arrive here). For right now, the cleanser and toner are just what I need to mix into my routine on days I feel extra dry.
These days I feel like I can’t live without the Tatcha Dewy Skin Mist*, the travel size is perfect to keep in my purse and I love that the mini packaging is just as good as the full size. Be sure to check out their gift sets this year. Their packages are beautifully wrapped so you really don’t need to do any extra work if you gift something.
For under eye concealer, I’m still loving the Charlotte Tilbury Retoucher Concealer as the best under-eye and spot cover up (I use Shade 3). Pigment and coverage is impressive but it blends out to a completely natural looking finish. Swatches of all the shades in this post here. Because many of you have been asking about the newer Mini Miracle Eye Wand Dynamic Duo Lift and Light Reflector, I picked up one in Shade 3. I’ll report once I’ve given it a thorough test drive.
Another staple in my daily makeup rotation is the Edward Bess Illuminating Eye Base. Many of you have repeatedly asked what my favorite eye base is, and it’s the one from Edward Bess. It evens out the lids and primes it for eyeshadow. It extends eyeshadow wear and doesn’t crease. Many skin-tone colored primers dry out my lids or make them look wrinkly, the Edward Bess smooths out the skin and makes it glow naturally (even though there is no shimmer).
I’ve been testing a number of different hand creams. I did a roundup of my staples back in January. I’ll have another update soon. The Molton Brown Alba White Truffle Hand Treatment* and Hand Exfoliator* are really quite amazing. I’ve never done a hand scrub but the exfoliating treatment is incredibly helpful in scrubbing off dead skin and also offers hydration leaving hand silky smooth and feeling really good. (Not to mention is smells delicious.) The Alba White Truffle Hand Cream is ultra hydrating.
Also not to be missed is the L’Occitane x Pierre Hermé Collaboration. Both brands have a special place in my heart and I couldn’t be more thrilled that they partnered for a holiday launch. The packaging on the Hand Cream Trio is to die for. As soon as I saw it online I immediately went to my local store to pick it up. Unfortunately it appears to be an online exclusive in the US. If you’re one to shop in store, there is a lot to choose from – but don’t forget to check online for exclusive sets. The gift sets this year are so beautiful (more on these soon). There are some cute Lip/Hand Duos and other items that are only available online. (I ordered multiples of the trio and duos.)
Last three things I’ve been loving are the Gourmand Eau De Parfums from Urban Outfitters. I have Thé Matcha which is a super clean fresh scent. I have several others on my wishlist. Truffle pouches are always on my love-list. The Rose Gold Privacy Clutch is always fun around the holiday season. New for holiday is the Ivory Pearl Cranberry Pouch in Small* and Large. Right now Truffle has a 20% off sale on this color through 11/25 with code CRANBERRY at checkout.
Stay tuned for a hand cream and lip treatment roundup along with more holiday reviews and gift guides. What are you loving this week? Do you have any go-to’s for dry skin during the colder fall/winter months?
Armani’s holiday collection this year is called Luxe is More and the items launched are definitely luxury beauty pieces. I’ve been a fan of Armani for a long time but found that my favorites were previously released items such as the Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadows and older blush formula. Many of the items have gone through reformulations and revamps and I haven’t kept up with new launches as much. The holiday collection did catch my eye and I splurged on four items:
Luxe is More Palette ($140) has ten eyeshadows, one finishing powder and two shades of cream foundation
Eye Tints ($38 each) come in shades 16, 17 and 18, I picked up 17 and 18
Lip Maestro ($36 each) launched in six new shades, each color has a velvety matte finish, I picked up one Pearly Nude 508
Up first are the individual items for lips and eyes, Lip Maestro 508, Eye Tint 18, Eye Tint 17:
Swatches of the three colors below, Lip Maestro 508, Eye Tint 17, Eye Tint 18:
I’m an Armani Eye Tint lover. These are shimmery cream eyeshadows that come with a sponge-tip applicator. They look super shimmery and frosty but blend out to a smooth finish with a glow. Swatches and review of some other shades in this post here. There are three new shades with the holiday collection, I picked 17 and 18 even though I suspected there might be duplicates in my current stash. I’m a sucker for a good neutral shimmer and these looked so pretty at the counter. Eye Tint 18 is a silvery cool shimmer. Eye Tint 17 is a champagne pink shimmer.
I think the Eye Tint 17 has a similar effect to Eyes to Kill Intense 9, the Eye Tint has less frost/shimmer and a tad bit more pink, but the overall finish is almost identical. Eye Tint #18 pulls more silver/cool on my skin but that’s because I have a lot of olive. If you’re more pink it will probably look more neutral.
Next up is the Lip Maestro in Pearly Nude #508. The Lip Maestros this round have a matte finish and are more like a velvety matte liquid lipstick. Finish is sheer to medium but you can build the color. Lasting power is pretty good, much better than the regular Armani Glosses and the thick texture adheres well to the lips. Pearly Nude is more like a pearly pink with a very slight cool undertone. There is a slight sheen to it because of the pearl shimmers, but the finish is definitely matte.
Last but not least is the Luxe is More Palette. I swatched this in store and fell head over heels in love with the colors – I think any neutral makeup lover would gasp with awe at how pretty this palette is. The pigment of the shadows is medium but buildable. The shimmer is very fine – visilble on the skin but not frosted. All the colors have shimmer with the exception of two (top row has a matte cream, middle has a soft matte black). I’ve been playing with this for over a week and have mixed feelings. It’s no doubt beautiful, stunning and gorgeous for an understated glowy eye look. The price is over the top and even though you do get 10 eyeshadows, a powder and two cream foundations in a large sturdy double-tiered mirrored compact, it’s over priced and you can dupe the shadows with other brands. Also the bottom tier has a powder and foundation that seems like it will only suit light to medium skintones. I’m lucky in the sense they are a perfect match for me, but if you’re super fair or tan to dark, the bottom deck won’t match your skintone.
The palette does come in a black pouch with two eyeshadow sponge-tip applicators. The bottom deck has two black sponges for the face products. For me they are all too small to be super useful, although they are good for touch ups.
After playing with this, I think based on my past reviews of other natural palettes like the Chanel Fall Les 5 Ombres and Dior Eye Reviver Palettes, most of you will either love or hate this. I find the overall feel to be similar to the Dior Eye Reviver Palettes in the sense that it’s natural with a subtle shimmer (versus high shimmer frost). The Armani Palette does have more shimmer and the pigment is slightly richer than the Dior. Compared to the Chanel, the Armani has better pigment, but it’s still a very natural-looking palette. If you want high impact color and pigment, I would not recommend this for you. Still if you can get to an Armani counter, definitely test this.
I am really happy with this palette, but I do think it’s extremely expensive and very splurgy. By comparison, you can get the MAC x15 in Warm Neutrals or Cool Neutrals for $85 each. Or if you want to build your own MAC palette, you can do so at the MAC stores or online for $160 (palette + insert cost $10, each pro-palette shadow is priced at $10).
Swatches of the shadows in the top deck include: matte cream, shimmering shell, shimmering gold, shimmering pale gold, silver, white frost, shimmery cool mauve, shimmery taupe, satiny plum, matte black
Bottom deck has two shades of cream foundation, I like these under the eyes as brighteners for me, and one finishing powder that disappears completely on my skin, it’s a nice setting/touch up powder
Palette ingredients:
Bottom line, I love the Eye Tints, but I knew that I would. I do think they are very similar to other shades so if you already own a good champagne shimmer or silvery shimmer, no need to get these as they will be dupes. The Lip Maestro in Pearly Nude is a gorgeous neutral pink with a very slight hint of cool undertone. The formula is strange to me as it’s a matte, but has a sheen to it. I’m usually not a fan of matte lip colors but this one is nice. I did find that I had to layer the color to get it to show up on my pigmented lips, but I didn’t have to pack it on. If your lip pigment is light to medium, you probably won’t have to layer like I did. The Luxe is More Palette is the ultimate splurge. So many of my readers are almost anti-shimmer with eyeshadows, if you are ultra conservative with shimmer and like a soft glow, you will really like the colors in this palette. They are natural and understated but give the eyes a brightened look effect. If you’re one who likes more pigment and color payoff, I recommend you try it in person before splurging.
Bite Beauty always launches the cutest sets during the holidays. I can’t tell you how many times I waited too long in past years and missed out. This year I ordered early and have swatches to share of the Discovery Set for Holiday 2015 ($55, limited-edition, exclusive to Sephora). This year’s set has a mix of minis along with full size products. It’s listed as a $110 value and contains:
0.18 oz Agave Lip Mask in Clear (mini size)
0.03 oz Line and Define Primer in Clear (mini size)
0.031 oz Mini Matte Crème Lip Crayon in Glacé
5 x Lush Lip Wipes
0.15 oz Luminous Crème Lipstick in Pepper (full size)
0.11 oz Lush Fruit Lip Gloss Honey (full size)
0.09 oz High Pigment Pencil in Pomegranate (full size)
Bite mirror
The set comes packaged in individual boxes like this:
I already own Pepper Luminous Crème Lipstick reviewed + swatched here, but decided to buy the set anyways. It’s one of my favorite neutrals – the Bite Beauty line has a lot to offer for neutral lip lovers with different undertones like brown, plum, pink, mauve etc. This set was the perfect way for me to try a lot from the line at a value price.
First up are the lip care and accessories:
The Lush Lip Wipes have been on my wishlist for a long time because I find the concept so interesting, even if it does seem like it’s not necessary. These are makeup remover pads designed to take off lip color while hydrating the lip. It’s supposed to leave a matte finish. I found it cleaned the lip entirely of color for regular lipsticks. It removed 85% of the color of the red lip pencil I tested from the set although there was still a red stain left on my lips. I did test them on the Kat Von D Lolita Everlasting Liquid Lipstick and it removed the product perfectly (usually I have to do several swipes of makeup remover).
The Line and Define Primer in Clear is a lip primer designed to prep the lips for color. The description says it’s supposed to plump the lips although I didn’t feel any plumping properties. The texture is on the thick side and does tug at the lips a little (at least for me). I was worried it would make lipstick stick versus glide, but I was really impressed with how smoothly lip crayons and lipsticks applied with this. It helps with lipstick feathering and lipstick goes on better and smoother. I’m not sure that I see lipstick last a lot longer, although I usually end up wiping off lip colors with snacks or drinks anyways. I would seriously consider buying the full size once it’s used up.
Next is the mini Agave Lip Mask. I’ve tried this formula in the tinted versions in Champagne and Smashed. I really really love the formula as a hydrating lip treatment. The clear is nice to have but I really prefer the red one even if it’s super sheer. If you want to use this as an overnight treatment, clear is the way to go so it doesn’t stain your pillows.
Up next are the color items:
I already own and reviewed Pepper Luminous Creme Lipstick here. If you don’t have it yet, you need it. It’s also available in the Mix and Mingle Mini duo with Café (swatched here).
I’ve gone through a couple of the Mini Matte Creme Lip Crayons from last year and really like the formula (I can’t remember which color I bought because I used it up and threw away the empty container). Glacé is a perfect your lips but better just slightly deeper mauve. Once this is used up I’m repurchasing the full size. The formula glides on smoothly and adheres really well to the lips. I like that it’s a twist up formula so there’s no sharpening required.
This is my first time trying the High Pigment Pencil formula, and WOW, these really are high in pigment. Pomegranate is a bold red that packs in a lot of color and pigment. It has a slightly glossy sheen. Lasting power is pretty good and I didn’t experience any smudging or bleeding. If you have any other color recommendations for this formula let me know.
Last but not least for color is the Honey Lush Fruit Lip Gloss. I’ve tried the Lip Gloss formula before and the colors are so good, but formula just doesn’t work for me. It’s thick and doesn’t apply on my lips smoothly. Honey is such a gorgeous nude but went on my lips super blotchy. It does work better layered over any of the Bite Beauty Lipsticks to add a bit of shine, but when worn alone it’s just not cutting it for me.
Bottom line, LOTS to love with this set whether you’re new to Bite Beauty or looking for a good gift to give this holiday. If you’re iffy on 2-3 items then I’d recommend you opt to purchase items individually instead of the set. With the exception of the Honey Lip Gloss, I give all the other items a huge thumbs up.
You can find the Bite Discovery Set online and in stores at Sephora. Do note it’s limited-edition. If you’re a VIB member, don’t forget today is the last day to shop the VIB 20% off sale with code VIB20 at checkout.
Have you checked out any of the Bite Beauty sets this year? If you have any Bite Beauty favorites please let me know in the comments. I’m still pretty new to many of the formulas and would love your recommendations!
A few holiday treat ideas whether you’re looking for a splurge or something more affordable.
There are so many good sets this year, I’ll have holiday gift guide roundups of the best gifts I’ve found by price point and recipient coming soon. I love a good lip and hand duo – who doesn’t need an extra boost of moisture during the holiday season? La Mer’s The Replenishing Collection Duo ($75) is quite the splurge with a 1.7 oz of The Hand Treatment and 0.32 oz. of The Lip Balm. A more affordable option is the L’Occitane Shea Butter Hugs and Kisses Duo ($20 each) which is perfect for sensitive noses and skin. The Hugs and Kisses Duos come in a variety of other scented options (this one for example is to die for!!).
For the lips, matte full coverage lip colors are often in. They have bold color, rich pigment and matte formulas tend to last longer. Hands down the one of the best matte lipstick formula is the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipsticks ($32 each) because it’s a luminous long-wearing and hydrating matte. Very Victoria (swatched here) is an amazing nude. 1975 Red is a limited-edition color that’s a vibrant bright warm red (swatched here). Buxom Bold Gel Lipstick ($22) is a more affordable option. The Matte formula is pretty darn good and priced right (plus if you’re a Sephora VIB you can get 20% off until November 16th with code VIB20). Swatches of all the Buxom Bold Gel Lipsticks here. I found Buxom Sinful Cinnamon to be an almost exact dupe for Charlotte Tilbury Very Victoria. Also Buxom Wildfire is identical in color to Charlotte Tilbury 1975 Red. I will say though that the Charlotte Tilbury formula really can’t be beat (or matched).
For the holiday season, quick and easy gifts are candles. I’m a huge fan of Jo Malone and Diptyque candles for pine scents. Jo Malone Pine and Eucalyptus ($65) has the perfect Christmas-y vibe to it. A couple cheaper alternatives for holiday home scents are the Nest Birchwood Pine ($35) and Henri Bendel White Spruce ($35).
For the nails, I love a good sparkly gold, bright red or deep vamp, but for those who like a good neutral nude pink that will give your hands a polished look without making them look dead, Tom Ford Sugar Dune ($35, swatched here) is my holy grail nude pink cream. Dior Lady (review here) also reached holy grail status but was limited-edition and I’m so sad you can’t find it anymore. The closest dupe I’ve found is Essie Topless and Barefoot (swatched here). It’s a really good neutral that isn’t sheer and gives the hands a polished feel.
Last but not least for those who love flat zip pouches, the Tory Burch York Duo Leather Pouches ($195 for set of 2) is quite the splurge. Both are made of textured Saffiano leather and are very thick and sturdy. I own the Black and Light Oak duo, I really like both, but it was a big ouch to the wallet. A less expensive alternative but something still high quality is the Truffle Privacy Clutch ($54). It’s made of textured leather and is quite sturdy. With these two, you can’t compare them exactly since one is a duo and one is a single, but the function is similar. I use the Truffle Privacy Clutches more often – the shape, size and simple sleek design is versatile as a makeup bag, pouch for your purse or a clutch. For those who like smaller pouches Truffle launched the Privacy Wristlet ($48 in three colors).
