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Sabrina

What's In My Bag

Travel Makeup | January-February Edition

February 1, 2014

I’ve been traveling this past week in San Francisco. This particular post is inspired by an interesting conversation I had with someone this week on what beauty items to bring when traveling. We both talked about how we were really sad we couldn’t bring any hair aerosol products with us. I personally was dying that I had to leave my Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray at home this past week. Not to mention pretty much all of my hair care and most of by body care products. (I brought several mini sample packets of Oribe and Diptyque to test.) This is what I brought with me during my 4.5 day trip (excluding a Dolce & Gabbana Powder foundation and my Moroccanoil mini, not photographed):

The items I brought with me included:

  1. Tom Ford Brush Holder (from several holidays ago)
  2. Chanel Eyelash Curler
  3. MAC Tapered Face Brush #138 for blush and contouring
  4. Chanel Powder Brush #1 my favorite all over fluffy brush
  5. MAC Eyeshadow Brush #239 has super soft white hair and has the best shape for multiple uses
  6. Tom Ford Brushes #12 Eyeshadow Blend and #13 Eyeshadow Contour (review here)
  7. Giorgio Armani Lacquer Pink #502
  8. MAC Huggable Lipstick in Out for Passion (review here)
  9. Tom Ford Flush Blush (looks pink in the picture because of bathroom lighting + flash, it’s really a straight peach)
  10. MAC Magnetic Nude Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Fairly Precious (review here, it’s official this one needs a backup to the backup)
  11. Edward Bess Daydream Bronzer (original version I stocked up on, new one is just as good but I love the round packaging)
  12. Bobbi Brown Pink Apricot Shimmer Lipstick (review here)
  13. Armani Eyes to Kill Stretch (my it-mascara of the moment that thickens, defines and holds the curls, without it, I look lash-less)
  14. Edward Bess Illuminating Eye Base in Suede (review here)
  15. MAC Viva Glam V Lipglass a classic neutral no-fuss pink
  16. Various mini sample items from Chanel and Tom Ford Oud Wood (review here)
  17. NARS Palette #9944 (old palette with Bellisima, All About Eve, Kalahari and Bali)
  18. Ole Henricksen African Red Tea Foaming Cleanser from The Works Set I’m in love with this stuff
  19. Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner sample, new to this brand as well, thanks to my friend LJ for pointing this out, I’m a new believer
  20. NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Groenland
  21. Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation Beige Illuminator (review to be posted soon)
I carried everything in either a quart sized bag or a flat black leather pouch from Rebecca Minkoff. For me this was light packing. I usually tend to bring a lot more items. Stay tuned for posting to resume this week.

Update – A few of my readers asked for an update on what I used/didn’t use and what I wish I brought. I ended up using everything I brought with me on this trip. Aside from liquids I couldn’t bring, if I had to do it over, I would have brought a couple more dark shadows or a dark smudgy cream shadow stick.

What beauty, skincare and body products do you usually carry for a week trip? 
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New From Bobbi Brown: Baby Pink Lip Gloss and Pink Apricot Shimmer Lip Color

January 28, 2014
Bobbi Brown has a released several new collections this spring including her Nude Glow, Uber Pinks and Shimmer Lip Color reformulations. I reviewed Bronze Nail Polish earlier (which I love). Today I bring some swatches of her Baby Pink Lip Gloss ($25 for .24 fl oz/7 ml) from the Uber Pinks collection and Pink Apricot Shimmer Lip Color ($25 for .12 oz/3.5 g) from her new formula of shimmer lipsticks.

Baby Pink is a soft peachy pink with shimmer. The shimmer shows up more on the lips than what you see in the tube, but it’s a natural kind of shimmer. It’s fairly pale on me due to the silvery flecks inside but still has enough color in the base to show up and not completely wash me out. I suspect fairer skin girls will love this. Medium-tan girls who love pale colors for more of a contrast will like this too as it will show up on the lips. I couldn’t detect any scent although I’m sick with a cold right now and traveling so you may want to try first. As far as I can recall, most of her regular lip glosses are without a noticeable scent. Lasting power is medium for a gloss. It’s better than Chanel Glossimers and Armani Flash Lacquers but I wouldn’t call it long lasting.

Pink Apricot Shimmer is just as the name implies. It’s a lovely pink apricot loaded with shimmer. The texture is fairly smooth for something with this much shimmer. It’s not frosty even though I find it very shimmery. There are a number of gorgeous shades it was hard to pick just one. I’m happy to report that these are a quite a bit sturdier than her last shimmer lipsticks (she’s reformulated them several times since her original ones). I had four shades of the older formula and found them so soft that all of them broke at the base. The new colors all appeared to be holding up well at the tester counter and they looked like they had been out a week or so to withstand some heavy testing. 

Swatches side by side:

I highly recommend both. The shimmer lipsticks are definitely worth looking into – there’s a wide range of shades to choose from. I might have to go back and revisit to try one more.
Bobbi Brown Baby Pink Lipgloss and Pink Apricot Shimmer Lipstick are at all counters now. Online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales.
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Tatcha Gold Camellia Moisturizing Lip Balm

January 27, 2014

Tatcha’s Gold Camellia Moisturizing Lip Balm ($36 for 8g / 0.28 oz.) is a luxurious lip treatment. Everything about this is phenomenal from the packaging (pot and box packaging), scent, texture and design. The Camellia Lip Balm is a semi-transparent jelly-like balm covered with a thin layer of crushed 24-karat gold leaf. It has a soft spa-like scent, like a mix of Botan Rice Candy and flowers, but softer. As others have noted this is a very smooth lip balm that gives hydration to the lips instantly. It covers the lips entirely but doesn’t feel too sticky. When you touch the surface the gold leaf breaks into small pieces. It’s designed to give a subtle hint of gold shimmer to the lips when applied. For me the shimmer barely showed up which I was ok with given the formula felt so amazing.
In terms of how it compares to my other favorites such as By Terry Baume de Rose, Jo Malone and Hourglass, Tatcha’s Gold Camellia Lip Balm has made the cut to join my group of favorites. If you have dryer lips that are prone to cracking or peeling with certain lipsticks, By Terry or Hourglass’s Lip treatments offer a deeper and more intense treatment which I need after using MAC Lipsticks or Lipglasses (my lips usually peel a day after using MAC Lipsticks or Lipglasses but it still doesn’t stop me from using them). These however are more heavy on the scent so if you’re one who prefers something more light the Tatcha is light enough for even the most sensitive noses.

on the nails Chanel Rouge Rubis

I like to apply this mid-day at work or at night before bed. The scent is soothing and refreshing. It’s like a mini spa treatment for the lips.

Ingredients: Squalane (Olive Origin), Dimer Dilinoleyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Dextrin
Palmitate, Fragrance (Natural), Dextrin Palmitate/Ethylhexanoate,
Polyglyceryl-10 Pentaisostearate, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Germ Oil, Camellia
Japonica Seed Oil, Water, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate (Licorice Extract),
Oryzanol (Rice Bran Oil Extract), Hydrogenated Lecithin (Soy Origin),
Inositol (Rice Extract), Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract,
Alcohol, Glycerin, Algae Extract, Gold.

Tatcha Gold Camellia Moisturizing Lip Balm retails for $36. You can find it at Tatcha.com and Barneys. I received a few samples with my order from Tatcha and am working my way through a couple of serums. Have you tried this line? What are your favorites?

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NARS Spring 2014 Larger Than Life Lip Gloss – Bimini and Années Folles

January 26, 2014

The NARS Spring 2014 Collection has two new shades of Larger Than Life Lip Gloss in Bimini and Années Folles ($26 each for 0.19 oz/6ml). Both are fresh spring shades that are give a sheer wash of color. These have a high shine with a slightly thick formula to help them last long on the lips. They come with a brush applicator on the end. It’s been a while since I’ve purchased a new lip gloss from NARS and I’m happy to see the brushes on these are slightly bigger and longer than previous colors making them easier for me to apply color to the lips. As far as I can tell there is no detectable scent.

Bimini is described as a sheer guava pink. To me it looks more peachy. It swatches fairly sheer like a light shimmery peach-pink-guava. It’s so pretty in the tube and on the lips. On my lips it pulls more pigmented due to my natural lip color but it applies pretty much true to what you see in the tube. It’s sheer shimmery natural perfection.

Années Folles is a lilac pink cream. Sheer pink lilacs can add a soft hint of pink and brighten the whole face. Annees Folles applies a bit streaky with a few quick swipes (as seen below). If blended properly it smooths out to a sheer wash of lilac on the lips. This one may take a bit more work and blending with a lip brush depending on your natural lip tones.

Comparisons below to Chanel Calypso (discontinued), Armani Flash Lacquer 303, Chanel Coral Love (discontinued), Bobbi Brown Baby Pink Lip Gloss (new, review soon), Bobbi Brown Lilac Rose (discontinued), Dolce & Gabbana Pink Sapphire (review here), Dolce & Gabbana Raspberry and MAC English Accents (discontinued).

I favor Bimini since the color is easier to apply on my lips. It’s a good everyday kind of color that can be worn alone or over other lipsticks for added shine.
NARS Bimini and Annees Folles are available online at Nordstrom and narscosmetics.com. In stores and at counters starting February 1st.

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NARS Final Cut Collection | Adelaide Illuminator

January 26, 2014

NARS Adelaide Illuminator ($30 for 1.1 oz/30ml) has been on my radar for several months. I saw some sneak peeks on Specktra and almost died of excitement when I found out there would be a shimmery pink highlighter. Adelaide is currently exclusive to Nordstrom with an official release date of February 1st. As many others have noted, Adelaide is a very shimmery pink and almost glittery. I usually do not like glitter on the cheeks but this illuminator is almost like a grown-up version of glitter. I have to use sparingly and swipe it lightly over powder blush to give a highlight. I found it lasted all day over a powder blush – right now my skin is normal but slightly dry. There was no shimmer or glitter fall-out. It stayed put on the skin from morning to night. If you don’t like any sign of glitter on the cheeks you may want to try Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer #8 instead which is similar but paler in color (scroll down for swatches).

Swatched below you can see that Adelaide blends out to a cool sparkly pink on my olive skin. For me it’s pigmented enough to wear as a very soft blush but I prefer to layer over a powder blush with a very light layer.

Here is Adelaide blended and sheered out with a foundation brush:

Swatches below compared to NARS Maui Multiple and Armani Fluid Sheer #8:

As others have noted, the shimmer and glitters are noticeable. I half love it. I tested during the work week for multiple days. Half of the testing days I felt it was too over the top, while the other half I thought it was subtle enough for the office. I recommend testing before buying if you’re unsure about the shimmer. On my olive skin it shows up and brightens the skin with the combination of pink and silver glitter shimmers. Perhaps I just need to be braver with shimmer and sparkles sometimes.
NARS Adelaide retails for $30, it’s a limited-edition color, available now at NARS.
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What's In My Bag

Inside My Makeup Bag

January 24, 2014

Here’s what’s in my makeup bag right now. It’s one of those weeks where I switched handbags mid-week and I forgot to transfer a few floating items such as my face powder, a couple lipglosses and two mini brushes between bags (I don’t always put them back in the makeup bag after use). Here’s what I have inside my bag right now, listed from top to bottom.
YSL Volupte Candy in Lush Coconut
NARS Blush in Deep Throat
By Terry Blackstar Ombre in Bronze Moon (review here)
NARS Volumizing Mascara
Frederic Malle Carnal Flower (review here)
By Terry Baume de Rose (here and here)
Hourglass Femme Nude Lip Stylo #5 (swatch here)
NARS Velvet Gloss Stick in Happy Days (swatched here)
What do you have in your makeup bag right now? Do you change bags mid-week or do you usually stick to the same purse for longer periods of time?
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Loving Right Now

January 23, 2014

Right now I’m obsessed with NARS Lip Pencils in the Velvet Gloss formula (swatches here), By Terry Baume de Rose (review here), Diptyque Baies (recycle tutorial here and size comparisons here), YSL Rose Scabiosa Nail Polish (review here) as well as Caudalie and Nuxe Dry Body Oils (review here). Current reads I’m loving this week:
What are you loving right now? I’d love to hear about your latest discoveries or what you’re obsessed with right now. I live to hear about the favorites from my readers.

PS – My first style/outfit post is up on Styled Notes. Still working on getting my other blog up and running. Work gets in the way of fun so it’s been a bit of a slow start.

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