All Posts By

Sabrina

Packing Travel What's In My Bag

Travel Makeup Kit | San Francisco Trip

October 14, 2013
I’ve been traveling for several days to San Francisco for a mini vacation. If you follow me via Instagram @beautylookbook you will see some snapshots of my travels around the city. More on some trip highlights to come soon here and on Styled Notes. Several of you have emailed me asking for a post on what I brought with me on my trip. I left for four days so I didn’t need much. However as usual I overpacked. The items I picked were fairly basic and versatile for a day to night look. Our trip was fairly laid back so I didn’t need to bring things different from what I normally wear for everyday.
This is what I brought with me in a Tom Ford Brush Holder and Bobbi Brown Train Case (both not available now, but previously released with sets or for holidays):
  • Skincare: mini sized items of Chanel makeup remover, Le Jour, Le Nuit, Sublimage cream and Le Blanc toner, a mini size of SK-II cleanser
  • Tools: a variety of MAC, Tom Ford and Chanel brushes, Chanel eyelash curler, Chanel Le Coton, Q-tips
  • Eyes: Le Metier de Beaute Carnaby Street Kaleidoscope, RMS Beauty Solar Cream Shadow, Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara Excess, Chanel Santal Eyeliner
  • Lips: Tom Ford Love Bruise Lipgloss, Armani Lipglosses, Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss in Caprice, YSL Rouge Volupte Candy, Chanel Rouge Coco Shines, Tom Ford Spanish Pink Lipstick, Chanel Nude Lipliner (I know it makes no sense to bring this many lip products on a trip, but it always happens)
  • Face: Tom Ford Foundation Stick #5, NARS Groenland Tinted Moisturizer, Cle de Peau Concealer, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette (more on this soon, but I love this!), Edward Bess Bronzer, Chanel Soho Powder, two MAC blushes in Poised and Barefaced, Chanel Les Beiges Powder, Edward Bess Sunlight Cream Highlighter
  • Hair: Mason Pearson Comb and Moroccan Oil

Did I use everything? Almost, but not quite. Items I found myself using the most included the basics. For color I used Chanel Rouge Coco Shines and Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss a lot. Edward Bess Daydream Bronzer was used everyday along with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette. I used the one eyeshadow palette as well for Le Metier de Beaute Carnaby Street. The MAC blushes were the perfect shade of nude to go with virtually everything (I layered a lot).

What I could have skipped: the Tom Ford lipstick and Armani lipglosses
What I missed: my flat iron, hair dryer and normal shampoo, conditioner and shower gels (but mainly relied on hotel amenities), also shimmery fluid highlighters I couldn’t bring because of travel size restrictions

What beauty items do you usually bring with you when you travel?

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Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Fatal and Initiation | Holiday 2013

October 13, 2013


Chanel has released two new shades of their Illusion D’Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow ($36 each) in Initiation and Fatal. Each color is beautiful alone with a simple coat of mascara but also look lovely when layered together. Lasting power is quite good for these – they did not budge from my eyes from morning to early evening when I tested these.

Below: Left – Fatal, Right – Initiation

Fatal is a stunning purple-red with silver sparkles. It’s like a mix between Chanel Illusoire and Ebloui but with an added kick of visible silver shimmer to make it unique. Purples can be hard for me to pull off if they have too much blue or too much red. Fatal is the perfect in between. It does look warmer in the pot than it applies on the skin but it’s a chameleon-like color. The shimmers are both red and purple so it may look different depending on what angle you hold the pot at.

Initiation is a stunning warm bronze with silver and gold flecks. I find this one to be extra sparkly but in a good way. There was no fall out with the sparkles. I like to use the little applicator brush to apply but fingers or a basic cream shadow brush works well too. (One of my favorites is MAC #242 for creams or Chanel Concealer #10.) I’m glad Chanel released a bronze shadow – it was a much-needed color in the Illusion D’Ombre lineup.

Swatches, two views. The colors are easy to control for pigment. I swatched with a heavy hand but they are easy to blend out and layer.

Comparisons show that Chanel Initiation is quite different from most bronze colors I own. Armani Eyes to Kill #15 is warmer and #26 is more brassy. For Chanel Fatal I found Armani Eyes to Kill #27 almost identical in finish. The Armani is just slightly lighter with a bit more silver frost.

Comparisons below: MAC Buried Treasure Paint Pot, Armani Eyes to Kill #15, Armani Eyes to Kill #26, Chanel Ebloui, Chanel Illusoire and Armani Eyes to Kill #27.

With flash:

Without flash:

Overall beautiful colors perfect for fall to holiday. Versatile enough to incorporate into many different looks for both day and night. Also wearable alone, mixed, or layered over other powder shadows for added depth and sparkle. Definitely must-haves in my book.
Both Chanel Fatal and Initiation Illusion D’Ombres are limited-edition colors. Available now at Neiman Marcus.
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Recycled Part 2 | Bottega Louie Small Macaron Boxes and Diptyque Small Candles

October 9, 2013

I’m always on the hunt for good storage containers and trays for home decor. Finding simple makeup storage to fit my needs is a challenge since I’m particular about size and the way things look. I’ve found the best makeup storage tools are sometimes recycled items. I love using Diptyque candles after they are finished burning to store brushes, flowers and pens. See my other posts on recycling Diptyque candle jars here and here. Two more ideas are recycling Bottega Louie macaron boxes and the small Diptyque candle jars.

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Bottega Louie is one of my favorite restaurants in LA. (See my feature on Styled Notes about this restaurant.) They have amazing macarons and other pastries that they sell in the prettiest boxes. The small macaron box is too pretty to throw away – I’ve had several sitting in my house and found they are good for storing facial cotton. Right now I’m using Chanel Le Coton pads, but the boxes also fit Shiseido and CVS cotton rounds as well. I don’t always recycle boxes because they aren’t always aesthetically pleasing but the Bottega Louie boxes are dainty enough to re-use. Turn the lid upside down and voila! You now have a cotton-holder.

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The regular sized Diptyque candles make for lovely pen holders. You’ve seen them many times on this blog holding pens, makeup pencils, brushes, sugar etc. I wasn’t sure if I could re-use the small 2.4 oz size but turns out they fit q-tips perfectly. See my how-to on cleaning out the wax here. Note there are many ways to clean out the wax, I prefer the linked method because it keeps the candle label-sticker in tact.

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Side by side you see they are quite compact and keep things organized:

For size comparison, here is the 2.4 oz candle vs the regular 6.5 oz candle next to the Bottega Louie box. All are well sized to hold a decent amount of items, but not so big that they will take up a lot of counter space.

Do you recycle items to store your makeup or makeup tools? I’d love to hear about your tips!

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Chanel Accent #84 Powder Blush | Holiday 2013

October 8, 2013

Chanel Accent #84 Joues Contraste ($43) is new for this holiday. There are two versions, the US version and the baked version released everywhere else. I ordered mine from Nordstrom.com and received the US version 6g/0.21 oz which is made in France. This one is a sparkling mixture of rose mauve and beige. It’s beautiful and has both warm and cool tones mixed together. At some angles it’s clearly beige, at others it’s more of a dusty mauve rose. On my skin it applies like a neutral mauve with a hint of beige. The sparkles and shimmers are more visible in this color than most traditional Chanel blushes and I love that it’s different from anything they’ve released. It’s a cross between their regular blushes and highlighters.

More photos below will show the complexity. Note this was difficult to photograph. The blush has more of a beige-colored base, but the shimmers are cool-toned mixed with mauve and silver. It will look different depending on what light and angle you hold this at.

Natural light:

In sunlight:

Swatched heavy and light, two views, it swatches mauve on and pinkish on my arm. On my face it’s slightly more warm but still clearly mauvey-brown. This will vary depending on your skintone. (I have a lot of olive/gold).

I pulled some other Chanel blushes I thought might be similar based on what I saw in the pan. I thought it could be a dupe of the discontinued Orchid Rose or Rose Dust. For some reason Chanel discontinued a lot of their classic blush shades. By my comparisons, the new Accent is unique and different. Much to my dismay most of my comparisons are discontinued colors. Here are comparisons to Rose Dust #54, Imprevu 59, Orchid Rose, Rose Temptation, additional swatches include Tempting Beige and Tweed Rose (still on Chanel.com).

Blushes, same set with 2 views:

Swatches, same set with two views:

Chanel Accent proves to be an easy to wear neutral. It’s a dusty mauve without being too brown or cool-toned. On my olive skin it adds a nice definition to the cheeks without being too natural or too harsh with the shimmer. I’m wearing it today with the Le Métier de Beauté Saint-Domingue Eye Kit and Chanel Boy Rouge Coco Shine. By Chanel comparisons, Accent is different enough from other Chanel colors to justify purchasing. Update: For reference see Temptalia for the baked version swatches and Best Things in Beauty for the US version on lighter skintone.
Chanel Holiday should start arriving at counters soon. My Nordstrom only had a few pieces so far. You can find Accent at Nordstrom and Nordstrom.com.

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Le Métier de Beauté Carnaby Street Kaleidoscope | Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus Exclusive

October 6, 2013

Le Métier de Beauté Carnaby Street Kaleidoscope Eye Kit ($95, limited) is an exclusive release to Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus. So far it’s only online at Bloomingdales.com but you can probably still find this in store or have your Le Métier de Beauté specialist locate one for you. The colors in this kit are beautiful but 2 out of the 4 are repeats from previous kits. I still find the kit worth having but you may want to shop your stash if you have a lot of the kaleidoscope kits.

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Level 1 is a seashell peachy pink shimmer. It’s different from other pinks Le Métier de Beauté has released and makes a stunning all over shade that brightens the lids.

I didn’t have time to swatch the comparisons side by side, but did photograph them side by side to give you a better idea of how each layer compares. Here is Carnaby Street compared to Saint-Domingue (Saks exclusive) and Antique Poupee (Bergdorfs limited release 2011).

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Level 2 is a shimmering complex taupe. I found it to be identical to the taupes from other kits such as Antique Poupee and Come One, Come All.

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Level 3 is a matte mauve. It applies beautifully on the eyes to add a bit of contour and warmth. It’s identical to the mauve shade from Nouvelle Vague.

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Level 4 is a metallic teal. It’s a repeat from the Oscar de la Renta/Ready-to-Wear kit from Bergdorfs back in 2011. I’ve compared it next to the green from Penelope (also discontinued) to show that the Carnaby Street kit is more teal.

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Swatches, two views:

For those trying to decide between the two latest kits from Le Métier, here is Carnaby Street compared to Saint-Domingue (Saks Exclusive). I can’t say one is better than the other, they are both stunning options in my mind. However Saint-Domingue is easier for me to wear. The teal in Carnaby Street is gorgeous but I need to add a bit of brown or black to darken it for my complexion (teals can sometimes make my olive skin look sallow).

Overall, the Carnaby Street Kaleidoscope is a lovely release from Le Métier de Beauté. It is a modern palette of colors with unique shades compared to other brands (although a few repeats from other kaleidoscopes). You can find it online now at Bloomingdales. Did you get Carnaby Street? What did you think?

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Weekend Reads

October 5, 2013

Happy Saturday! This weekend loving these reads:

If you’re on Instagram, follow these lovelies:

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Le Métier de Beauté Saint-Domingue Kaleidoscope | Saks Exclusive

October 4, 2013

Le Métier de Beauté has released a Saks-Exclusive Kaleidoscope called Saint-Domingue ($95, limited). I spotted it in their fall fantasy catalog and ordered it immediately from Saks Houston for a gift card event. It’s breathtaking. Each shade is unique compared to the past releases from Le Métier de Beauté. It’s a stunning combination of colors that is perfect for fall.

The top shade is a satiny nude pink. There is a slight hint of shimmer but it applies more like a matte.

The second shade is a matte grey base with very subtle flecks of sparkle. Note this one pulls more blue on my arm but in real life applies more neutral on the eyes. It’s not as pale or as cool as the grey from Splendid Frost.

The third shade is a shimmering plum gold. It looks almost identical to Silk Road’s plums but it applies with much more pigment and sparkle. It’s also not quite as purply as Silk Road.

The last shade is a stunning soft steel dove grey shimmer. I couldn’t find another shade like it. It applies like a dream.

Most kits are designed to layer each color. This one I prefer to apply more like a traditional quad (lightest all over, then each darker shade worn progressively closer to the lashline).

Swatched individually then blended together:

I think it’s a must-have. It has the perfect blend of matte and shimmer. The pigment and blendability is phenomenal. I can’t rave enough about this one. You can find it at select Saks Stores or at Saks.com.

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