Valentino Beauty launched a new plumping gloss called the Puffer Lip Gloss ($38 each, Nordstrom and Sephora). I received a couple shades in PR but also picked up three as the shades looked really pretty in store.
These are sheer to medium in coverage although some of the shades have more coverage than others. The plumping effect is pretty visible and the tingle and stinging sensation is strong although I didn’t get numb lips and I was able to wear these without issue.
On a scale of 1-10 for tingle I would rate these a 7.5 to 8 for stinging. They’re not quite as strong as the YSL or Charlotte Tilbury ones but still strong enough that I feel them. If you have sensitive lips I recommend proceeding with caution.
I think the colors are really pretty. Out of the shades I tried there was only one I wasn’t a huge fan of (mainly because it was so sheer).
00R Dazzling Mermaid is a sheer sparkling holographic shade, this was almost clear on my lips
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300R In My Glowing Era is SO beautiful, I wish it had a little more pigment, but I love the iridescent pink shimmer and glow in this
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302R Extra Pink is a bright baby pink cream, I think it’s a flattering one and really pretty, I am now on a mission to find a lipstick this color since most baby pinks pull too pastel on me, but this one is perfect
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103R Don’t Be So Nude is a peachy nude rose with a tiny bit of shimmer, this pulls sheer so it’s almost like my lips but better, I would LOVE this in a pigmented gloss or lipstick form
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122A Warm Up is a pretty milky brown toffee shade, it also has a tiny bit of shimmer but the shimmer isn’t really visible on the lips
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Overall I really like them. Since they do sting/tingle I don’t know how often I will be reaching for them although if I apply a lip primer underneath it acts like a buffer in between my lips and the product.
Happy long weekend! Rounding up all the Memorial Day Sales happening this year in one place that I’ve found. If you’ve spotted any other great ones you’re shopping let me know in the comments!
Big Retailer Sales
Anthropologie – extra 40% off sale, up to 30% off indoor and outdoor furniture
Bloomingdale’s – 25 to 65% off selected items through 5/26
It’s time for another perfume roundup! I’ve been exploring more fragrances this year and I’m thrilled to have found so many great new loves. Today I’m focusing mainly on the new ones I love right now but I’ll mention a few misses too.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Kurky
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Kurky ($245, Nordstrom) is my favorite splurge this year! It’s a creamy fruity gourmand that isn’t too sweet. Has a beautiful mix of musk and vanilla for a bright fun feel. Power is on the softer side so I have to spritz VERY liberally. I haven’t really explored much from MFK over the years but after a recent visit to a local boutique recently I was really surprised to find that most of the ones I tried in store don’t have very long lasting power or throw. Have you experienced this too?
Phlur’s new Hair and Body Mists are so fun for summer. Peach Skin* ($25 – $38, Sephora) is another amazing fruity juicy scent with white freesia, jasmin, amber, coconut caramel, sandalwood mixed in. I didn’t realize that I liked peach scents but I really love this one. After trying this I went to investigate another peach from Guerlain Peche Mirage and while it’s nice, it wasn’t pure love. I might check it out again. Sometimes I need a few tries to really get a sense of how a perfume will perform on my skin.
Beach Skin* ($25 – $38, Sephora) is the perfect airy beachy coconut scent with bergamot and tiare blossoms. I like this one a lot more than the Coconut Skin which is lovely, but the Beach Skin has more depth with a lighter more summery feel.
NOTES Top: Bergamot, Salted Tiare Flower, Pink Pepper
Heart: Coconut Milk, Lily of the Valley
Base: Sandalwood, Vanilla, Musk
I did try the Golden Rule* and Rose Whip* from Phlur and I think they’re beautiful, the notes are just not my vibe. I found Golden Rule a little too sweet and Rose Whip is a very velvety rose which I have never been able to pull off in warm weather climates.
Chanel Chance Eau Splendide
Chanel Chance Eau Splendide* ($143 – $176, Chanel) is the latest addition to the Chance family and I think it’s the best one yet. It’s bright, fruity, sweet and youthful with raspberry accord, violet, rose and rose geranium. The scent also has a mix of powdery iris, cedar and musk to give it some more depth. It’s a flirty sweet kind of scent with a very bright and youthful feel. I was surprised how pretty it is as I don’t usually like raspberry scents but this one is really pretty.
NOTES: sparkling raspberry accord, rose, violet, rose geranium, minty note, iris, cedar and white musk.
New from Creed
Creed Eladaria* ($445, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Creed) is a fresh powdery rose with peony. I love how this transforms on the skin once it sets. You can also detect notes of lily of the valley with a bit of musk. It’s a very elaborate complex rose but still fresh. For a floral my heart still belongs to Spring Flower from Creed.
Eladaria NOTES: Top: Mandarin, bergamot, pink pepper
Middle Notes: Rose, peony, lily of the valley, powdery notes
Base Notes: Musk, vanilla, ambroxan, cashmere wood
New from Celine
Celine Un Ete Francais ($310 – $450, Celine) is the latest addition to Celine’s fragrance lineup and it’s summer in a bottle. It’s a beachy floral with bergamot, petitgrain, neroli and has a bit of a green feel to it. It’s fresh and the powdery notes are subtle. To me it has a similar feeling to Frederic Malle’s Carnal Flower even though they smell different – the floral notes are very strong and summery to me. Celine Un Ete Francais has a fresh green vibe to it. Shared a quick look at the Celine boutique in Miami here.
NOTES: BERGAMOT, PETITGRAIN, NEROLI, GORSE AND VANILLA ACCORDS.
Byredo Absolus
Both of the new Byredo Absolu editions in Mojave Ghost and Blanche are beautiful. They are both very similar to the originals with very subtle difference on the skin but I find them significantly stronger with better lasting power. These both have more depth and warmth making them more interesting to me. If you already own and love the originals I don’t think you need the new ones unless you’re repurchasing in which case I recommend opting for the absolu.
Blanche Absolu ($280 – $385, Nordstrom) has more warmth while the original Blanche has a very crisp and sharp clean smell to it. The new Absolu is similar but not quite as sharp.
Mojave Ghost Absolu ($280 – $385, Nordstrom) is also a little warmer and creamier with a richer base. Lasting power is a lot better than the original although I’ve never had issues with Byredo lasting power on my skin.
If you’re a fan of some of the Guerlain Aqua Allegoria perfumes they added a few of the scents in super cute Aqua Allegoria Hand Creams ($60). The scents aren’t new but I thought I’d share a quick look because I was super curious. I have and love the Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Forte in Mandarine Basilic ($185) which is a beautiful sweet citrus with basil and green tea. The hand cream is beautifully packaged with a smooth texture. It’s not quite as smooth as the Chanel La Creme Main, but the Guerlain has a nice lightweight texture with minimal stickiness. The hand cream has a lighter scent (as in not as potent as the perfume) and smells very light and fresh. After testing it I don’t think I would call it worth the splurge but I will keep using it until it’s used up. I personally think the Chanel La Creme Main or Dior Le Baumes have a better smooth texture for the hands.
I loved the original Parfums de Marly Valaya but the new Valaya Exclusif is even better. Valaya Exclusif ($250 – $410, Nordstrom) is softer with a more velvety powdery feel. Both are beautiful but I love the new version better as the original almost smells sharp by comparison.
Valaya Exclusif Notes Top notes: Velvety Almond, Bergamot, Mandarin
Middle notes: Orange Blossom, White Flowers, Powdery Facets
Base notes: Akigalawood, Sandalwood, Ambroxan, Vanilla
New Glossier
Glossier You Fleur ($32-$78, Sephora) is a skin-like floral with mineral salt accord. This is the first osmanthus scent I’ve actually liked and it has a mix of ylang-ylang and apricot. It’s subtle and smells like your skin with a subtle musk + floral vibe. It has a similar feel to Glossier You, but the Fleur one pulls more skin-like and more natural smelling. If you want something potent and strong this is probably going to be too light for you.
A quick little peek at my perfume corner in my new beauty closet! We are slowly putting our new place together. I might share more home decor once we have everything setup. We are close to finally having our new place fully furnished. Sneak peeks shared here on my Instagram Highlights if you’re interested!
Press samples have a * next to them. All others purchased by me.
The Chanel Les Beiges Summer 2025 launch is here with the Golden Hour Collection. I ordered all the new makeup items to review. Quick mention that they’ve also expanded the Les Beiges Water-Fresh Complexion Touch shades which I think is one of the best foundation formulas! I hope they continue to expand the shades of all their bases, in particular I hope they eventually add BD41 to the lineup which is usually the best match and undertone for me. (I can still make B40 or B50 work, review here from the original launch.)
The Chanel Les Beiges Golden Hour collection is a beautiful one. I love the color scheme and textures. Not all of the shades work for me, but here are my thoughts on each item in case you haven’t been able to check it out in person yet.
Les Beiges Healthy Golden Glow Powder
There are two cheek duos called the Les Beiges Healthy Golden Glow Powder ($75 each). I’m such a huge fan of the limited-edition launches this time for cheeks but these are different from anything I’ve seen from Chanel. The blush side is glowy without being too frosty while the highlighter has some of the most intense frost I think I’ve seen from Chanel. I think the shimmer is beautiful but if you’re wary of frost apply with a very light hand or save the shimmer for the eyes.
Eclat Du Soir has a soft light pink and sparkling champagne. I love this one. Pigment is easy to build and blend.
Soleil Couchant pulls very warm and orangey on my complexion, it actually pulls a lot warmer on the skin than what I see in the pan. I can make it work for a more trendy summer look if I apply lightly and blend but for a peachy tone that Jeux de Lumieres quad works much better for my medium skin tone.
Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Stick
There are two new cream blush sticks called the Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Colour Stick ($52 each). They look very bold and bright in the tube but they have a sheer color payoff making them give you that sheer flush of color. I really love these for summer as they have a semi-matte finish/texture. There is a bit of shimmer in them but they are more like tiny flecks of sparkle mixed into a satiny base.
Reset is a peachy orange while Refresh is a sheer hot pink. I really love these!
Les Beiges Healthy Glow Natural Eyeshadow Palette
Based on the feedback from my sneak peek on Instagram, it seems like the item most of you are interested in is the new Les Beiges Healthy Glow Natural Eyeshadow Palette in Golden. I love all the shades except for the yellow gold shimmer (this pulls VERY orange on me) but I can still make it work. The trend for eyeshadow color this season seems to be a very warm bronze across the board.
I really love the variety of textures and the shimmers in this palette are SO beautiful. It mimics a sunset and if you love warm tones I think you will love this one. By comparison the new Tom Ford Bronze Isle is also very warm but not quite as warm as the Chanel Golden Palette.
Rouge Coco Flash
There are four new Rouge Coco Flash shades ($50 each) in the collection and I love every single one. These are sheer glossy lipsticks with high shine. The lasting power isn’t going to be long with these since they feel more like a balm but the formula is so pretty and smooth I don’t mind reapplying.
Sun Bliss is a sheer beige shimmer, Sunset is a warm but soft brick peach, Sun Kiss looks red in the tube but applies pink on my lips, Late Sun is a soft burnt bronze.
Le Vernis
Last is a look at the two new Le Vernis ($33 each) shades in the collection. Solaire is a yellow gold shimmer (not my favorite tone for a gold) and Incandescente is a perfect jelly red. Both require two coats for full coverage. I’m 10/10 loving the red one even though I own so many reds, I think it has a really good brightness to it making it really perfect for summer.
That wraps up my Chanel haul! I purchased everything from a Chanel beauty boutique and also a few things online at Chanel.com. The stand outs to me are the Rouge Coco Flash and the Les Beiges Blush Sticks.
If you tried this collection, let me know what you thought!
I love the unique powder formula. It has an interesting almost creamy powder texture with a very blurred matte finish. It makes the skin look very blurred. I’ve been a huge fan of the tones in her Cream Blush Baby Cheeks and had high hopes for these powder versions. While I really love the formula, I don’t love all the colors – but I think that is to be expected since they have different variations and undertones.
Colors are all mattes.
For skintone reference I wear her Vital Skin Foundation Stick in Shade VI which I still really love. I also wear Shade V in the winter and Shade VII in the summer months when I am very tan.
Here are the swatches, these are applied with a heavy hand:
Here are the swatches next to the cream blushes with the same names:
Lip + Cheek looks with each duo layered on the face:
This is the only duo I really did not like. The colors are very dark and almost look muddy on the skin when it sets. The cool undertone of biscuit isn’t flattering on my skin with the grey color and for some reason is hard to blend.
Another cheek duo that pulls dark but since it has warmer undertones works with a light hand for me.
I splurged on the Powder II Brush and don’t think it was worth the splurge. I’ve tried a few of her brushes which I think are beautifully made, but I think they are very overpriced and I’m just not a fan of the design/density. For the pigment and texture of the Powder Duos I prefer something a little more fluffy like the rephr brush 04 and brush 05 (both more affortable) or the Hakuhodo J110 (splurge).
Overall really pleased the quality, formula and packaging. Colors aren’t all for me but I found a couple I really love. Wear time is really good and has minimal fading by late afternoon. If you need a bit of glow/depth then be prepared to add highlighter on top because these are VERY matte.
Armani Beauty recently launched a shine version of the Luminous Silk Cheek Tint ($39 each). I’ve been such a huge fan of the original satiny/matte formula because they have the best wear time for a liquid blush. The shine versions have a soft luminous glow in a very subtle way. They are noticeably more glowy than the originals but aren’t too shimmery or too dewy.
I shared a demo earlier in the week here to show how they blend and look on the skin in action. I find the shine versions for the two lighter shades to be on the sheer side while the darker colors have more pigment.
Overall pigment is on the softer side. Lasting power on me is still very good. Not quite as long-wearing as the natural finish, but still very very good. For skintone reference I am still a Luminous Silk Foundation Shade 6.5. It’s one of the best color matches for me in terms of undertone and color. Did a few different lip combos to coordinate with each cheek color.
Some of the shine formula colors pull very similar to the natural finish variations so if you already own some of these, I think you can skip some of the shine formulas. I think the pigment is more easy to build with the natural finish but both are very good. Swatch comparisons below to: 53 Bold Pink, 50.5 Rosy Peach, 31 Vivid Coral and 62 Delicate Mauve.
Victoria Beckham Beauty launched a few new products recently and I have a mini review. The set I was most excited about was her new Lip Definer Trio ($86, Victoria Beckham Beauty, Bluemercury, Violet Grey) and as a fan of her neutrals I ordered it immediately. I love her lip pencils because they’re very much like a traditional lip pencil – no fuss formula and great pigment. Two of the shades are exclusive to the set. She also recently revamped her eyeshadow palettes in the refillable Eye Wardrobe ($75) so I ordered one to try.
Lip Definer Trio
The Lip Definer Trio has three similar neutrals with a variation in undertone. If you’re like me finding a good neutral can be tricky especially with the undertone. I really love these – the colors are really good and formula is great.
Shade 01.5 is a neutral brown nude
Shade 02 is permanent neutral pink brown
Shade 02.5 is a neutral nude with cool tones
I swatched a few of her other pencils below to show the difference and variations. On my lips they look very similar and I do think out of all three I like Shade 02 (the permanent one) the best (available individually here).
Application is just like what you’d expect from a traditional pencil. They’re not going to glide on the lips like the Merit Lip Pencils so you’ll have to apply in smaller strokes and blend. The benefit of this texture though is they adhere well to the lips and stay put without looking too dry.
She also revamped her eyeshadows into a new formula and style and I think these are a significant improvement compared to her original. The Eye Wardrobe runs for $75 (compact is $25 while the refills are $50). The pans now have dividers so you are less likely to mix shadows with the brush. The pigment is so beautiful with both the mattes and shimmers. I do think they are exceptionally pricey for what you get, even if they are refillable. I picked the shade Victoria to try which has some pretty smokey neutrals. This is sold out on the VBB site but you can still find it now at Nordstrom and Violet Grey.
I’m still more into warm neutrals but for a neutral smokey eye palette I think this has one of the best color combos I’ve ever seen. The mattes are SUPER smooth and easy to blend. I love the level of pigment and lasting power.
I really love the purchases. I think I might try her Cell Rejuvenating Illuminator again. I used the original one and the golden shade in the past which were both really nice. I have my eye on the Rose one which looks super pretty. If you’ve tried it let me know!
