Sabrina, Author at The Beauty Look Book

Caudalie Boutique and Spa Opens on Abbot Kinney in Venice

March 14, 2014

Caudalie and Byrdie hosted an event to celebrate opening of the new Caudalie West Coast Boutique and Spa in Venice. I made every effort to clear my calendar to attend. I’ve been a die-hard fan of the Divine Oil and Cleansing Water and couldn’t wait to see the entire line in a boutique setting (most stores or counters I’ve seen only have a part of the line stocked). Caudalie founders Mathilde and Bertrand Thomas made a special appearance and greeted each customer and offered tips, advice and recommendations to each individual. Mathilde was so kind to personally demonstrate how to use their cult-status Beauty Elixir on me. The event was hosted with wine and food catered by Ginger in the Kitchen. Each attendee had the opportunity to sign up for a 10 minute facial or 5 minute hand massage treatment in their spa area. I opted for the hand treatment where they applied their Hand and Nail Cream on one hand and on the other they mixed one spritz of the Divine Oil with Body Butter. It was a beautiful event. I can’t wait to go back for a second visit. There is so much I wanted to try but in the excitement was not able to. I ended up purchasing the small Favorites Set which has the Lip Conditioner, Hand and Nail Cream, Vinosource, Beauty Elixir and Cleansing Water in small sizes. Here are some snapshots. I hope you enjoy!

Travel-sized beauty items perfect for on-the-go:

Each attendee left with a generous gift trio:

It was a beautiful in a cleverly designed space. If you are in the Los Angeles area add this to your list to visit. Skincare fans note that Aesop is down the street on Abbot Kinney. Also in the Los Angeles area (about 30 minutes away) includes some lovely boutiques such as Malin+Goetz, Diptyque, Le Labo, Woodley and Bunny. It’s definitely worth a weekend trip to visit. Thank you Caudalie and Byrdie for hosting such a lovely event!

You can follow Caudalie on Facebook, Twitter @CaudalieUSA , Instagram @Caudalie. They had a two-day grand opening for the Venice Boutique, use #CaudalieLA to search for more photos. PS online at US.Caudalie.com there is a promotion for a free full-sized Hand and Nail Cream with a $50 purchase with code InTheBag (while supplies last).

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Sephora Beauty Insider 500 Point Reward L’Occitane Set

March 13, 2014

I’ve been saving up my Sephora Beauty Insider points for months (I had accumulated around 780 points to be exact). I received an email alert about this 500 Point Reward with five L’Occitane minis. I decided to redeem my points with a recent order of the NARS Matte Multiples and added the Beauty Insider 500 Point set to my basket at checkout. It arrived last week and the minis are adorable. I’ve never seen such cute hand creams (they are 0.3 oz versus the full sized 1 oz tubes). I haven’t seen this set in stores near me but it’s still online while supplies last (if you’ve spotted it in store please share in the comments). The set that is available online comes with:

Shea Butter Hand Cream 0.3 oz/10 ml
Amande Delicious Hand Cream 0.3 oz/10 ml
Amande Shower Oil 1.18 fl oz/35 ml
Amande Supple Skin Oil 0.5 fl oz/15 ml
Verbena Body Lotion 1 oz/30 ml
Small canvas pouch

http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=MeQoh28EORo&subid=&offerid=322274.1&type=10&tmpid=10002&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.sephora.com%252Frewards

I’ve tried all the items before except the face oil. All are classic staples and the sizes are perfect for your purse, to store in your work desk or small enough for travel. I get a bit nervous when it comes to trying face oils so if you’ve tried this one I’d love your input. Have you seen any good Sephora Beauty Insider minis lately? I find it’s hit or miss but I love that Sephora stores and tracks your points for you and allows you to save them. Any other deals you’ve spotted?

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By Terry Baume de Rose 10 Year Anniversary Edition

March 11, 2014

By Terry has released a couple special limited-edition items to celebrate the 10 Year Anniversary of her Baume de Rose. There is a 10 Year Anniversary Baume de Rose ($60) in a specially designed pot with silver hearts and a 10 Year Anniversary Coffret Duo ($109) that has the special packaging for Baume de Rose and new a Darling Baume gloss tube with crushed pearl shimmers. I ordered the coffret for last month’s Love Yourself Event.

The 10 Year Anniversary Baume de Rose is identical to the regular Baume de Rose in size and formula, the only difference is the outside packaging. For those who haven’t tried this, it goes on the lips clear. It’s a luscious moisturizing lip product that hydrates the lips like no other balm that I’ve tried. It does have a strong rose scent so if you are sensitive to fragrance you may want to smell this in person first. I find the scent fades nicely and it’s a soothing rose.

The Darling Baume is limited to the set and is a sheer pale pink infused with sparkles that flash pink and pearl. The shimmer is on the larger side but the gloss feels very smooth and moisturizing. It adds a hint of sheen and sparkle to the lips.

Swatches:

Comparisons of the 10 Year Anniversary Set to the regular Baume de Rose and Rose Balm Gloss (which I haven’t tested yet):

Overall a lovely duo that comes at a hefty price tag. I do think the Baume de Rose is worth every penny so if you are running low on yours or wanted to try this, the coffret is a nice set that is worth looking into. The By Terry counters I worked with said this sold out in their stores already and they don’t know if they will be getting more stock in. After testing the Darling Baume gloss for a few days I think it’s just ok. It’s a nice swipe and go gloss or perfect for adding a bit of shimmer but not a must-have for the price in my opinion. The good thing is that if you wanted the special packaging you can buy the Baume de Rose separately.

I am relatively new to By Terry. I’ve been discovering the item piece by piece and will write more as I put the items I’ve purchased to the test (I’m incredibly impressed with their foundations so far). A couple snapshots of the By Terry counter in San Francisco at Barneys New York. If you have any favorites I’d love to hear about them.

Your local counters/stores might have sold out but you can still find this set and the special edition baume de rose online at Barneys and SpaceNK.

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Featured in March 2014 Issue of InstyleUK

March 10, 2014

I am very excited to share that The Beauty Look Book has been featured in the March 2014 issue of Instyle UK. I know I’m a bit late sharing this but the March issues of international publications are just starting to arrive at newstands here in the US. I picked up two copies this past weekend. Huge thank you’s (and hugs and kisses) to @beautybling and @caitlinconfidential for letting me know I was featured via Instagram snapshots and tags.

And a huge thank you to InstyleUK for featuring me in your Top 50 Websites section!

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On My Radar

March 9, 2014

On my radar right now:

Tatcha Sampler Set is online now at a reduced price, this is a great way to try a variety of items
By Terry Cellularose Blush Glacé is a new glow from within translucent gel shimmer blush, I bought Frozen Petal #3 yesterday since it was the only one left in store, I have the other two on my wishlist
The NARSissist Eye Palette – so this has been on my radar for weeks now, I’ve resisted so far, if you’ve tried this, what were your thoughts? do I need this?
Ole Henriksen The Works is another amazing skincare sampler set at a very good price, I received one as a gift as an introduction to the line, I’ve already found four of the items to be new favorites (review to come soon, also free shipping with code FREESHIP)
Caudalie, Lancôme, and Dior Cleansing Waters – I’m running low on my staples and need to replenish, should I repurchase any of these or explore other options? I’m all ears for your favorites
Malin + Goetz Mojito Lip Balm – this line is one of my latest obsessions, I visited the counter at Barneys Beverly Hills, but decided to stop by the boutique in Los Angeles yesterday and was so impressed by everything

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! As always, I’d love to hear about your recent discoveries, loves or items that are on your beauty radar right now.

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Diptyque Home / Interiors Lifestyle

Beauty Storage Ideas for Minis | Diptyque Recycled

March 8, 2014

I’ve been trying to find a new way to store my mini perfumes and samples. I had been putting them all into a small Jo Malone box but this made it difficult to see what was inside after items started to stack up. I had seen a few pretty small round glass bowls on Pinterest to store them but all the ones I found for sale online were either too shallow or too large in circumference for my needs. I had been storing my longer roller perfumes in Diptyque jars already and it just hit me that I could also use the jars for the mini samples as well.

The minis and samples I’ve been accumulating for a while and three empty Diptyque candles in Noisetier (my new favorite, hazelnut), Musc and Figuier. Silver lacquered rectangle tray shown below is from West Elm.

The emptied and cleaned candle jars:

Minis inside the candle jars:

Previous articles and posts I’ve written that you may find helpful for how-to’s or storage and decor ideas with Diptyque candles:

How do you currently store your mini perfumes or skincare samples so you can find them easily?

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Burberry English Rose Spring 2014 Collection Now Online at Nordstrom.com

March 7, 2014

http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=MeQoh28EORo&subid=&offerid=274341.1&type=10&tmpid=8158&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fshop.nordstrom.com%252Fc%252Fburberry-makeup-and-fragrance%253Forigin%253DproductBrandLink

Burberry fans who have been waiting for the English Rose collection to restock or show up online will be happy to know it is now online and in stores at counters at Nordstrom. There are a few new individually released items which include:

Complete Eye Palette ($59 each) in Rose Pink No 10 (swatches here) and Sage Green No 15
Nail Polish ($21 each) in Rose Pink, Dusty Mauve, Pale Grape, Pale Yellow and Sage Green

The remaining items are mainly repromotes of previously released colors to coordinate with either a Rose Pink or Sage Green look. The Rose Pink quad sold out online almost instantly at Burberry and Saks. If you missed out, check Nordstrom. I don’t have a complete store listing, but I have an older Nordstrom Burberry Location list here, if you have any updates please share in the comments!