All Posts By

Sabrina

Monthly Favorites

August Favorites

August 31, 2015

I have a monthly favorites roundup today featuring both beauty and grooming products for him and her. My husband had so much fun pulling his favorite things last month he wanted to participate again. We’ve both been experimenting with new products – for me it’s a regular thing since I’m a beauty blogger and constantly trying new things. For him, he’s found out trying new products takes quite a bit of time to figure out how they really perform. There are some things he wanted to toss after one use, but in the interest of giving things a thorough test drive he’s opened up to giving items more than 1-2 uses before writing things off. Our August beauty and grooming favorites this month:
  1. Tom Ford Skin Illuminating Duo in Moodlight (reviewed here) is the must-have highlighter duo this season. It gives the skin the most stunning glow. There seems to be mixed information about whether or not it’s limited-edition. I received an e-mail from the team at Tom Ford confirming that it’s limited-edition. Others report it is permanent. To be safe I bought 2 backups. It’s that good.
  2. R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo Spray (Travel Size) is something I picked up a month ago. I’m the type of person who washes her hair daily so I don’t use dry shampoos a lot. There are days though where it’s so hot my hair needs a quick refresh. Many are white in color and leave my black-brown hair looking dusty and grey (even if I brush it out). This one is colorless and smells amazing. A few spritzes absorbs oil and gives the hair texture. I give it a huge thumbs up.
  3. First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser with Red Clay has been a long time favorite. I’ve used this on and off for a year now (I like to switch up my cleansers). I think I’ve gone through 4 tubes. It’s amazing in this hot humid weather at cleaning the skin, unclogs pores and is gentle but really effective.
  4. YSL Pop Water Glossy Stains have been in regular rotation (previously swatched/reviewed here). The colors are summer-perfect. It’s so easy to swipe on the lips and the stain makes the color last long. My two favorites for the last month have been Pink Rain and Wet Nude.
  5. Surratt Beauty Lip Lustre in Soigne is one of the prettiest shimmering rose pinks. It looks very metallic in the tube and when swatched on the hands but on the lips it’s not as frosty. It’s the perfect soft rosy pink shimmer. See it on my lips here.
  6. I acquired a few minis of the La Mer Moisturizing Soft Cream and it’s heavenly. I have been rationing three tiny bottles for months now (since around May) and I’ve fallen head over heels. I don’t want to splurge on the full size but there are some deal/value sets. I need to buy soon. It will be one of my biggest skincare splurges but it’s amazing on my skin. It hydrates, feels smooth, doesn’t get greasy and makes my face glow.
  7. Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow in Medium to Dark is my go-to bronzer this month. You can see the full review + swatches here. I’m completely obsessed.
  8. Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow is something I’ve been mixing in with foundation to add a subtle glow. I like that it has a yellowish golden undertone which I find rare in liquid illuminators which are often pinkish/opal.
  9. La Mer Illuminating Eye Gel is something I’ve been using since the spring. It’s a good lightweight product for day and in this hot summer weather it’s just what I need. For a real deep treatment my go-to is still Chanel Sublimage but it’s a bit heavy for day in this super hot weather.
  10. This hakuho-do x Sephora Kusuriyubi Angled Concealer Brush is amazing. I did a full review earlier in the month which you can see here, but this is my favorite concealer brush of all time now.
  11. For the longest time my husband has been a loyal Jack Black user, but he opened up to trying some items I brought home from Kiehl’s. He really likes the Facial Fuel Energizing Facewash for Men. It lathers up well and really cleans the skin making it feel refreshed without leaving any film or stripping the face. The entire Facial Fuel line has a good masculine look to the packaging which he finds appealing. I tried this one and have to say it’s pretty darn good. For him, it helps prepare his skin for shaving by making it feel smooth.
  12. Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Heavy Lifting Eye Repair is what he uses under his eyes to try and treat wrinkles and dry skin. This year he’s been keen on researching products and changing his lifestyle to prevent aging (or at least try to delay it). He’s on his second jar of this. He likes it because it hydrates and really helps with his wrinkles.
  13. Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Energizing Moisture Treatment for Men has been in regular rotation for skincare. He likes this because it softens the skin without feeling greasy. It absorbs quickly and makes the skin feel invigorated. He actually got this one in Men’s Starter Kit because he likes bottles with smaller packaging.
  14. Clarisonic Alpha Fit Cleansing System for Men is a new device designed specifically for men. My husband had tried my Aria with his own brush heads. He liked the concept but didn’t like the design (he said it looked too girly and felt bulky). I bought this one for him – the video sold it for me. It has a good masculine look and fits in the hands easily. He uses his in the shower daily and finds it gives his skin a deep clean and has made a noticeable difference in texture and preventing blackheads/clogged pores. He has super thick facial hair and this Clarisonic has softened the ends of his hair so when he shaves it feels softer. It’s on the pricey side but he’s really happy with it. It fits on the shelf in our shower without taking up a lot of space.
  15. Nuxe Men Multi-Use Shower Gel is his favorite right now. He likes the way it smells and how it lathers (for him the lather is important). It leaves the skin feeling clean and moisturized. I’m a fan of the way it smells on him too. Review here.
  16. Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet Deodorant is something he bought because he was researching Penhaligon’s shaving products. He decided to give this one a try based on online reviews he read. He likes it because it has a good fresh manly scent and doesn’t make his skin peel.
That wraps it up for our beauty and grooming favorites for the month!
What were your favorites for August?
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Chanel Fall 2015 Rouge Allure and Rouge Coco Shines

August 31, 2015

For fall Chanel has four new lipsticks in their Collection Les Automnales release. I picked up two of the Rouge Coco Shines ($36 each) in Mélancolie and Téméraire along with one Rouge Allure ($36) in Pensive. I’m usually super excited about the new lip releases from Chanel. Their lipstick formulas usually perform really well for me and I love the colors. This fall, the items fall a bit short of my expectations.

The three colors I picked out at the counter:

  • Rouge Coco Shine in Mélancolie is a sheer glossy warm brownish nude with shimmer, this goes on beautifully if swatched on the hands, on my pigmented lips it looks very nude and natural, it almost disappears because of the way it matches my lip tone, it’s so so pretty in the tube, on me it’s almost invisible, I suspect if you have less pigment in your lips it will show up better
  • Rouge Coco Shine in Téméraire is a pigmented deeper red with shimmer, this one has phenomenal coverage and pigment, if you’re like me, most reddish lip colors can turn orange or fuchsia on the lips no matter what the base color is, this one surprisingly does not turn fuchsia and stays true to what you see in the tube
  • Rouge Allure in Pensive is a sheer nude that is applies unevenly and blotchy, it’s almost identical in color to the Reveuse Rouge Coco Shine, but the Rouge Coco Shine has a much better formula and coverage, it photographs well, but in real life it looks really uneven, I’ve tried desperately to make it work because it swatches so pretty on the arm and looks like nude perfection in the tubes, but it’s really not worth the price given the sheerness

Swatches below:

Some swatched comparisons:

One last shot:

Overall beautiful in the tubes, but they aren’t must-haves for me. I do like the way Téméraire looks and how pigmented it is although it has a lot more color in it than I’m used to. It’s definitely not an everyday kind of lip color unless you are used to wearing reds. Mélancolie is such a stunning shade in the tube and on my hand, on my me it seems to have decent coverage but it disappears on my pigmented lips. Pensive is something I would say skip – there are much better nudes out there from other lines that have better pigment, coverage and texture. If you’re in the market for new lipsticks to splurge on I would say save for Louboutin, Tom Ford or the Burberry Kisses. Or wait for Chanel Holiday.
Did you check out the fall selection for lips? What did you think?
All the new lip colors in the fall collection are listed as permanent. They are available at counters now. Online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Chanel.com and all other Chanel retailers.
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#BirchboxInMyCity Los Angeles Pop-Up

August 29, 2015

The Birchbox Pop-Up arrived in Los Angeles at The Grove yesterday morning. I attended the preview where I met up with the Birchbox team and they showed me how to build my very first Birchbox. At this weekend’s event you can build your own box in a his or hers version. In addition to their BYOB (build-your-own-box) stations they brought along two large containers filled with full-sized products to shop. The event is on for two more days, Saturday, August 29, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sunday, August 30, 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. – all the details are on Birchbox Roadtrip.

Some of you have asked about the boxes you can build. For $15 you can pick out 5 sample-sized beauty and grooming products. All the items are sorted by category such as Skincare, Haircare, Fragrance, Makeup, Beard + Shave and Lifestyle. There are multiple brand options to choose from  which is nice. A quick look at the BYOB setup for Man and Woman. First, grab a box:

Then pick your items down the line:

Start filling up your box:

Pick one item from each of the 5 categories:  

For men, picks from Baxter of Ca, Kiehl’s, Harry’s and more:

Box I built for my hubby:

In addition to the minis you can pick for your boxes, Birchbox brought along full-sized items. Here’s a peek at the displays. There are mirrored stations to play with testers in makeup and hair products. On one side they have makeup, on the other side is skin care and hair care.

Rooftop manicures available:

Gorgeous Smith & Cult nail polishes:

Complimentary hair trims with Baxter on the rooftop of Birchbox Man:

Grooming products galore:

Here are the two boxes I made at the event. One for me, one for the hubby:

Many thanks to Birchbox for inviting me to the event preview! I had so much fun yesterday and was so happy to meet up with one of my blogger favs Beauty Professor and finally meet the gorgeous Caitlin Confidential.

If you’re in the area I’m planning on stopping by the event early today. Let me know if you’re going to be there – I’d love to meet you! Follow me on Instagram @beautylookbook to see more from the event and stay tuned for a giveaway later this afternoon. Also search #BirchBoxinMyCity and #BirchboxManInMyCity to see more snippets from the weekend.

Created in partnership with Birchbox.
 
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Chanel Eye Makeup

Les 5 Ombres de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette in Entrelacs for Fall 2015

August 27, 2015

There’s a stunning new eyeshadow palette from Chanel this fall called Les 5 Ombres de Chanel in Entrelacs ($80, limited-edition). It’s quite expensive but the colors are phenomenal neutrals that have a super soft texture with good buildable pigment. I think Chanel should make all their shadows in this formula – it melds into the skin flawlessly. The light colors are pigmented with a glorious shimmer giving them unique look. (In the pan they look almost matte.) The three darker shades are satiny in texture and layer nicely over each other. If you have a creamy liner or base on the lids you will see the dark shades pop. Chanel’s Les 5 Ombres de Chanel for fall is the perfect in-between of pure mattes and high frost shimmers. The finish is more of a satiny glow and I can’t rave enough about this palette. Even though I own enough neutrals to last 100 lifetimes I think this one is a must. 

The colors left to right:

Shimmering soft ivory with a champagne shimmery glow
Matte neutral beige tan
Soft satiny chocolate shimmer
Dark blackened brown satin
Soft light pink with gold shimmer

Swatches with the sponge applicators:

Swatched heavy over Tom Ford Peach Glow Primer with fingers:

I suspect each color can be replicated with individual colors. Some of the ones above resemble older Chanel singles and quads that I own (the first one resembles Ivory, second resembles Sand, third looks like a brown version of the darkest color in Poesie, fourth is unique). I pulled two other palettes to compare, Chanel Charming from Holiday 2013 and Dior Eye Reviver 001:

Overall a winner. I highly recommend it. If you’re new to high end eyeshadows and want a good easy to wear palette of neutrals, the Les 5 Ombres de Chanel is a good introductory palette. It has conservative colors suitable for everyday wear but enough color to show up on the eyes and add dimension. Lasting power is very good – it stays put all day without fading or budging. I’ve used it with my go-to eye base from Edward Bess. I like it so much I have to buy a back it up.

You can find the fall 2015 Les 5 Ombres de Chanel Eyeshadow Palette in Entrelacs at all counters now, while supplies last since it’s limited-edition. Online at Chanel.com, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and all other Chanel retailers.

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Loving Right Now

August 26, 2015
It’s the last week of August which means summer is coming to an end soon. I suspect we will still have really good weather in Southern California for the next few months – although I haven’t been to the beach nearly enough this year. Right now I’m working my way through Chanel, Tom Ford, Sara Happ, and Eve Snow reviews along with some roundup features. Sometimes I feel as though the days go by so quickly and I find it challenging to accomplish as much I as I would like to. I need some organization and time management inspiration!
Right now I’m obsessed with Smith and Cult in She Said Yeah. It’s such a pretty vibrant girly lilac periwinkle colored nail polish – I like it on the toes. For bronzers I’m obsessed with Tom Ford Small Bronzing Powder compacts. I don’t know if they are limited-edition or not, but I picked up 2 of the Gold Dust. Armani Maestro Liquid Summer I got last year has still lasted me a long time (with a long way to go, I don’t know if I will ever use it up). I like how it blends into the skin naturally. There are three shades now.

For the lips, I’m still obsessed with the Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfectors. I almost always have one or two colors in my purse. For fragrance I’m on a rollerball kick. I ordered this Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Coco mini recently. I’m forever in search of a good vanilla perfume I can wear that isn’t too sweet. I’m completely in love with it but my husband is not a fan. He doesn’t like vanilla scents on me at all (inserts sad face).

I featured R+Co in my July Favorites and I’ve been exploring more from the line. I’ve stocked up on a few mini sample packets from various gift with purchase offers. Most recently I was sent a sample of the Rockaway Salt Spray and it smells so so so amazing. The first few times I used it I sprayed too much too close to my roots. It does dry down even if you use too much but I recommend spritzing at least 6 inches from your hair. It gives a nice textured look and volume without making the hair feel crunchy.

The Supergoop! Sun Defying Sunscreen Oil with Meadowfoam SPF 50 has been on regular rotation for body. It absorbs quickly, doesn’t feel greasy, doesn’t have that sunscreen smell, keeps sunburns away and doesn’t irritate my super sensitive skin. I started testing the cream Everyday Sunscreen SPF 50 with Cellular Response Technology and it also works well without irritation issues. I’ll have a sunscreen testing roundup soon. 

Last but not least, Truffle has new Clarity Pouch colors! Above shown are Large Seafoam Mint Cranberry and Small Pewter Lime Slate.

What have you been loving this week?

Press samples in this feature include items Smith & Cult, R+Co, Clarins and Truffle.

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Chanel Fall 2015 Stylo Yeux in Ardent, Érable and Pomme de Pin

August 25, 2015

For fall Chanel has four new Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliners ($32 each) in Ardent, Érable, Feuilles and Pomme de Pin. I picked up four at my local counter but when I got home realized one was the wrong color (it was one of the older shades) so I have three of the four shades swatched. The three new fall colors I have are Ardent which is a shimmering copper, Érable a shimmering khaki taupe and Pomme de Pin a glossy brown-black. All are permanent with the exception of Ardent which is limited-edition. The Stylo Yeux pencils seem to have improved drastically with this release. I’m not sure if all pencils are like this, but the new ones are super creamy and glide on the lids without any tugging. Previous releases are hit or miss with the formula. Some drag a little while others are more emollient. All three in the fall collection have intense pigment and apply easily on the eyes. They are creamy but set within a few minutes. As with my experience wearing all other Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof pencils, they last all day without smudging or fading. I give all three a huge thumbs up. I wish they would make the colors into cream shadows because they are just so pretty.

The three fall shades I came home with shown below in Pomme de Pin 921, Ardent 918 and Érable 919, plus a repromote in Ardoise 912. At the counter the rep went by number when she was pulling the colors, she must have confused 912 and 914. I don’t blame her – I get confused by the numbering system all the time.

Close up photo plus swatches:

Comparison swatches below:

Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof in Khaki Preciuex
Burberry Effortless Kohl in Storm Grey (c/o)

Bottom line all three are winners. Since the formula has improved so much I need to investigate some other existing colors as my Black Shimmer and Ebene seem to have dried up and are tugging at my eyes when I use them. I would have thought Pomme de Pin to be a basic black color but I like that it has some brown undertone to prevent it from looking harsh on my eyes. Ardent is pure love – I like to smudge it upwards with the fingers on the lids as a cream shadow. Erable is beyond gorgeous. I need it in a powder shadow form.

Have you checked out Chanel fall? Did you pick up any of the eye products? I passed on the Illusion D’Ombres. I picked up the quad but haven’t touched it yet – I can’t decide whether or not I can do the khaki colors. I’ll have a review of the 5-pan palette up soon. I’ve been playing with it and am head over heels in love with it. I may need a backup. If you’ve seen/tried it let me know if you think Feuilles is a must-have and I might go back to check it out.

You can find the Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof pencils at all Chanel counters now. Online at Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Chanel.com and all other Chanel retailers.

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Chanel Collection Automnales La Base Coat, Le Top Coat and new Le Vernis in Châtaigne, Écorce Sanguine and Vert Obscur

August 25, 2015

This fall Chanel has released a host of new products and colors for nails. There are three new limited-edition Le Vernis Nail Colours in Châtaigne, Écorce Sanguine and Vert Obscur ($27 each for 13 ml / 0.4 fl oz). In addition there is a new La Base Coat, Le Top Coat and a Le Top Coat Velvet (all $27 each). I’ve been playing with these for several weeks – each year it seems as though fall collections arrive earlier and earlier. I’m still in summer mode so I’ve been loving brighter colors but the new shades for fall do not disappoint.

I have a preliminary review on the new base and top coat after testing it with Chanel, Dior and Tom Ford nail polishes (I did skip the velvet version). I tried the original base coat and was never a fan. I found it didn’t go on the nails smoothly and it made nail polishes of all brands drag unevenly along the nail. The new La Base Coat has improved tremendously in terms of how it glides onto the nails. It’s supposed to be a protective and smoothing base with a soft pink tint to even out the nail tone. I find the pink tone does give the nails a very soft even look, but if you wear opaque polishes it doesn’t make a difference. The Chanel Base + Chanel Color combination = pure love. I found that it didn’t perform so well with Dior or Tom Ford – the color drags and you need a slightly thicker coat of color to get an even application. I prefer base the Formula X Base Coat and CND Sticky Base Coat by far in terms of how it performs with a variety of brands.

The new Le Top Coat is a quick dry high shine top coat. I’m a huge fan of the original Laque Brilliance Extreme Top Coat and after testing the new one, I have to say I still prefer the original version by far. I really hope it’s here to stay and that Chanel did not create a new one to replace it, however the original one is now gone from Chanel.com so I will have to stock up. The new Le Top Coat has a thinner more liquidy finish compared to the original. There was a slight learning curve for me to figure out exactly how much to load up on the brush. Too much resulted in it pooling in the cuticles. Too little caused streaking. That being said – once I got the hang of it, I found it was really nice how quickly it dried. It left the nails with a glossy finish, but the original had a more cushiony glossy shine. It works well with multiple brands and there is no shrinkage around the edges if I use it with Dior or Tom Ford. It did help my manicure last without tip wear for 5 days. I found the original version better with manicures lasting up to 7 days without chipping or tip wear.

Onto the colors for fall: Châtaigne is a brown plum vamp cream, Écorce Sanguine is a stunning deep red with the almost-invisible gold shimmer and Vert Obscur is a jelly forest green. I love a good vamp, Châtaigne goes on smoothly without any issues. Two coats will cover the nail entirely. There is a brownish base that prevents it from looking pure black on the hands. It’s still very dark.

Écorce Sanguine is a very special red. In my mind Chanel can do no wrong with reds. Last holiday they released too many similar reds, but this one for fall is deep and bright at the same time. It’s a classic color that doesn’t age the hands or darken. I own way too many reds already but this one has phenomenal coverage. One coat is enough to cover the nail entirely. I always prefer at least 2 coats though. Be sure to check out the swatches on Café Makeup – she captures the shimmer perfectly!

Vert Obscur is the color I was most excited about but ended up being slightly disappointed with it. It’s a gorgeous dark forest green in the bottle. The formula is a bit blotchy with the first coat. It will leave the nail looking streaky. Two to three coats fixes it and it looks better with extra coats, but on the nails it’s so dark it almost looks black. I would have liked it to be a bit brighter or have the green more visible.

Comparisons:

Dior Nuit 1947 (reviewed here)
Louboutin Sevillana
Tom Ford Bitter Bitch
Tom Ford Black Cherry (review here)
Chanel Vamp (swatched here)
Chanel Forbidden (discontinued), Rouge Fatal (discontinued)
Chanel Cinema (swatched here)
Marc Jacobs Jezebel
Tom Ford Black Jade (swatches here)
Louboutin Lady Twist (swatched here)
Burberry Dark Bottle Green (reviewed here)
Rescue Beauty Lounge Small Dim Summer Stars (swatches here)

Overall thoughts on the new Base and Top coat are that I’m undecided. I like they way they perform with Chanel nail polishes, but I was so in love with the original top coat. I think I just need to test them out more. For the new fall colors, I think all three are really gorgeous – I think the red Écorce Sanguine is absolutely stunning but you can get something very similar although most won’t have that gorgeous gold shimmer. I can’t say the other two are must-haves – there are just so many similar colors to Châtaigne and Vert Obscur is so dark it looks black on my hands. Perhaps once the actual fall season rolls around I’ll be more into these colors. I do think they are nice to have – as a die hard Chanel collector, I had to add them to my collection, but I can’t call them must-haves. Right now I have my eye on the Rouge Noir collections coming out, preliminary details and sneak peeks via Specktra.net. The colors look amazing for late fall/holiday collections.

All three Le Vernis colors for fall are limited-edition. The new La Base and Le Top Coats are here to stay. You can find them at all Chanel counters now. Online at Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Chanel.com.

Did you try any of the new fall colors? What did you think?

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