I’ve been getting back into colorful nail polishes, especially the colorful French tips with a neutral base for fun! I have so many colors that I’ve been playing with and thought I’d do a roundup of some favorites right now. Last week I posted a fun manicure combination with picks from Target on Instagram. I love these colors by themselves too so I thought I’d share full swatches on the blog along with a few others.
Rainbow Manicure
3 Coats of OPI Bubble Bath (base), then (thumb to pinkie) Don’t Tell a Sol (yellow), That’s Hula-rious (mint), It’s a Girl (pink), Gelato On My Mind (aqua), Got Myself Into a Jam-balaya (coral) – all available at Target
What are you wearing on your nails for this summer? Any fun ones you’ve pulled out recently? I’m already working on part two with some baby blue shade, lilacs and corals. Let me know what you want me to swatch next! Peach? Lavender? Purples? Neutrals? Shimmers? Any other brands you want me to swatch?
I usually buy my OPI and Essie nail polishes from Target or Ulta. Olive and June has sent a number of bottles for press samples but I also buy from their website Olive and June and Target.
Happy Wednesday! I’m rounding up 10 Things I’m Loving Right Now. A few of these I’ve mentioned on my Instagram Stories and thought I’d add some more detailed thoughts and include some swatches!
Shimmer Body Oils
As a lover of a good body oil I ordered the new Summer Fridays Pool Time Glowing Body Oil from Sephora and love it! This is a limited-edition product and has a lightweight feel with a subtle glow. There is shimmer in it but it’s subtle on the skin. It has a coconut beach like scent that I find really subtle. I personally love the scent of the Tom Ford Soleil Blanc Shimmering Body Oil (which I find feels a tiny bit more textured in the shimmer) but they are both really lovely for summer. I have the mini shown, also available in a full size option.
I have quite a few new lip loves! The new Huda Beauty Lip Contour 2.0 Automatic Lip Pencils are creamy, opaque and super long wearing. These have a twist up style but there is also a sharpener in the cap to sharpen just the product. I ordered the neutrals sight unseen and have been loving Sandy Beige and Terracotta the most.
I also really love the Huda Power Bullet Cream Glow Hydrating Lipsticks – they are creamy, opaque, smooth and have a good range of neutrals in pink and beige tones. I really love Honey Bun for my perfect neutral peach pink nude. I have a few more of these in my shopping cart. They have a pleasant, sweet smell to them, almost like cake!
I’ve been a huge fan of the Too Faced Hangover Pillow Balm and could not be more thrilled they launched tinted flavored versions. They have a slight cooling sensation. Pigment is very very sheer but I think the flavors are really fun. My favorites are Mango and Banana. The only one I’m not a huge fan of is Cocoa Kiss because it smells like a Lip Smacker. Not a deal breaker, but just doesn’t give me the cocoa vibe as the name implies.
I still reach for Fresh Sugar Balms the most these days (currently 25% off online at Sephora). I like the Sugar Advanced Therapy the most. For the flavored Sugar Hydrating Lip Balms I love the Coconut, Lime Mint and Lychee. I think they make some of the best scented lip balms on the market.
I love all things Chanel and I find myself reaching for their bases quite frequently these days. For a good lightweight summer base I like the Chanel Les Beiges Sheer Healthy Glow Moisturizing Tint with SPF30. I wear the shade Medium or Medium Plus. It offers a sheer lightweight finish that adds a subtle glow. For more coverage with a higher SPF the CC Cream is also one I swear by especially for the summertime.
I’ve shown a few of the Chanel Les Eaux de Chanel perfumes I have. I love the travel size options because they’re purse friendly! My top two favorites are Paris-Riviera and Paris-Biarritz and as a citrus lover, I cannot pick between the two. Paris-Riviera is the more tangy sweet version, it has a mix of Sicilian Orange and Neroli I feel this is the slightly bolder version. Paris-Biarritz has Sicilian Mandarin and Lily of the Valley. It also has a bright vibe but has a slightly softer feel.
Last but not least, my latest love is the Aesop Resurrection Rinse-Free Hand Mist. I also like the Rinse-Free Hand Wash version which is a lightweight gel but sometimes it’s nice to have a misting option! Both are also available in this cute Adventurer Roll Up Trio Set too. I did try the Geranium Leaf Version as well but I prefer the scent of the Resurrection formula. I cannot find the listing right now but the last time I checked the Aesop website these were listed as having 60% alcohol.
That wraps up my 10 Things I’m Loving Right now! Would love to hear what you’re loving these days. Have you tried anything in my roundup yet? What did you think?
I’m so excited to share a look at this year’s Chanel Les Beiges Summer Light collection. I look forward to the new additions every summer! Everything is available now online at Chanel.com. I think the entire collection is effortless and beautiful.
Chanel added a deeper shade of the Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream in 395 Soleil Tan Deep Bronze which is a darker cream bronze shade. It is quite a bit darker than the original 390 Soleil Tan Bronze. For me I find the original one shows up for a more natural look on my Chanel Foundation B40/B50 skintone. If you’re B40 or deeper you may have found it matched your skintone too much.
395 Soleil Tan Deep Bronze definitely works better as a deeper bronze shade for my medium tan skin. It is quite intense in color but is easy to blend and make more natural looking. That being said if you are fair toned I think this will be too deep for you, especially if you want a more natural bronze look.
Lasting power is pretty decent as long as I’m not outdoors too long. Weather here is warmer but not intense yet.
Les Beiges Healthy Glow Natural Eyeshadow Palettes
There are two new Les Beiges Healthy Glow Natural Eyeshadow Palettes in Intense (neutral bronze tones) and Tender (pink reddish tones). I love both and they have that finely milled smooth shimmer with sparkles similar. They have a soft texture with medium pigment. You can layer them on top of cream shadows to intensify the color payoff.
Intense has shimmers in a soft cream, bronze, darker khaki, medium khaki and soft bronze. The shimmers are complex in the compact so if you see different photos online the palettes may look different depending on how the light catches.
Tender has a mix of soft pink, wine, champagne and rose tones. I added a couple other swatches to Medium (the original one) and Warm (from last year).
Rouge Coco Flash
Chanel has four new shades of Rouge Coco Flash and I think they’re perfect for summer! Dawn is a light neutral nude beige, Sunbeam is a perfect coral (reminds me of a more pigmented version of their discontinued shade in Flash), Flame is a pretty plum, Heat is a bold red. They’re glossy and have pretty good pigment for a shine lipstick formula.
Last we have a look at the new Le Vernis Longwear Nail Colors. I do think at least two of these may have been previously launched many years ago (I know Golden Sand for sure was a color before). I do not have the older shades to compare, but I really love the four options this launch. I applied each one with 2 coats. The metallics will show some of the brush strokes but I think they’re still really pretty.
Glimmer is a pretty neutral cream beige with a hint of silver sparkles (but they don’t really show up on the nail)
Sunlight is a metallic rose pink
Golden Sand is a golden metallic sand color
Solar is a pretty bronze sparkle
Overall a solid A+ for everything. I love how effortless and easy the colors are to wear. I still would have liked to see them launch a beautiful new powder bronzer or highlighter but I have plenty in my stash to pick from. The lip colors are perfect for summer to me – love that there is a nude and a few brighter colors that are fun but still nice to wear for everyday.
You can find the entire collection available now at Chanel.com. Have you checked out the new launch yet? What did you think?
Les Beiges collection provided courtesy of Chanel for review.
Pat McGrath just launched her new Divine Blush Collection featuring nine powder blushes, a new highlighter, a new eyeshadow quad and new lip colors. I received a press kit with a selection of items from the new launch including 3 of the blushes. I loved the formula and colors so much I ordered the remaining colors and will review them when they arrive.
Her new Venus in Fleurs Luxe Quad in Voyeruistic Vixen has four shades with a smooth metallic shimmery pale cool-toned pink champagne, a glittery duo-chrome pink orange copper with chunky flecks of sparkle, a matte reddish plum brown and a beautiful metallic bronze taupe with a soft golden sheen. Colors shift depending on how the light catches the shimmers.
Colors each have a different kind of texture but pigment is smooth, easy to blend and layer. I do think the glittery shade is best applied as a topper in a patting motion with fingers to avoid fallout. The glittery color is very sparkly and glittery.
I think the quad is beautiful. As a non-glitter wearer I almost wish the sparkle shade was a duochrome shimmer, but I really love the other colors in the palette and I do think that sparkle is fun to add more glitz and glam to the eyes.
Skin Fetish Blush + Highlighters
There are 9 new Skin Fetish Divine Powder Blushes. These come in a single mirrored compact with a gorgeous embossed pattern. There are two finishes in a demi-matte and a satin with soft shimmer, but on my skin they all apply with the same kind of soft finish. They have a silky kind of powdery feel on the skin and blend out nicely. I haven’t done extensive testing on all of the colors on the face as I just received them, but the two I tested did last for hours on the skin without fading, darkening or oxidizing.
Nude Venus is my favorite so far which is a soft peach. Nymphette is a lighter pink with a soft pink pearl. Cherish is a perfect pink. I think the colors are perfect wearable shades that I want to wear everyday. These have a soft texture and pigment is semi-sheer for the 2 lighter shades Nude Venus and Nymphette (but buildable). Pigment in Cherish and I suspect the deeper shades is richer and a bit more opaque.
She added a new Skin Fetish Divine Glow Highlighter in Golden Nectar which surprised me. In the compact it looks like your standard pale gold shimmer. On the skin it reveals a more peachy glow which you can see in the compact when you hold it at an angle. This one is truly beautiful! It’s quite shimmery but has a smooth finish and does not emphasize pores. Pigment is very strong but this one is easy to blend out.
New Lip Colors
I’m the biggest fan of the Pat McGrath MatteTrance Lipsticks and I love her new Dream Lover. This is my perfect peachy nude pink color. It has a similar vibe to Christy and Divine Rose but the undertone is a bit different. Unfortunately hand swatches make them all look the same but the other two are a bit more pink while the new one is more peachy. Coverage is opaque, smooth, flawless and matte without looking dry.
For her Lip Fetish Balms she launched two new shades in Divine Rose 2 a soft neutral cool rose pink and Flesh 7 a plum brown that pulls more red/plum on me (because almost all brown tones with any hint of plum pull red on my lips). Both have really good pigment for a balm. These are effortless to apply and I love the colors. There is a soft vanilla like scent but it’s subtle. Since they are balms they won’t have extremely long lasting power. I’d say they last longer than the YSL Rouge Volupte Shines and about the same as Chanel Rouge Coco Blooms.
Last I added a swatch of her LUST Gloss in Earth Angel. It’s a repromoted and it has the prettiest color shift when you see it in person. Photos can’t do it justice but I added a swatch anyways.
Looks Wearing the new collection, my foundation shade right now is the Pat McGrath Skin Fetish in Medium 15. Eyeshadow palette is the Voyeuristic Vixen in all the looks.
LOOK 1 wearing Blush in Nude Venus and Matte Revolution in Dream Lover:
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LOOK 2 wearing Blush in Nude Venus, Highlighter in Golden Nectar, Matte Revolution in Dream Lover:
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LOOK 3 wearing Blush in Cherish and Lip Balm in Divine Rose 2:
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LOOK 4 wearing Blush in Nymphette and Lip Balm in Flesh 7:
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Overall love everything! I don’t know that I could pick a favorite because I think they are all stand outs. Even though I have so many lip colors I always look forward to her lip launches and the colors in this new collection are gorgeous.
I have high hopes for the other blush colors and will keep you posted when they arrive! Everything is available now at Pat McGrath. I love that she has bundles available at a price break if you buy her sets. The collection should also arrive at Sephora end of the month.
Did you order anything from her launch yet? What did you get?
Pat McGrath Divine Blush Collection items provided for review.
Charlotte Tilbury launched two new Instant Look Palettes in her Look of Love Collection. I ordered both sight unseen along with a few of the lip products. Swatches and a closer look today! Available at Charlotte Tilbury, Sephora, Nordstrom and all other Charlotte Tilbury retailers.
Her Instant Look of Love in a Palettes comes in two shade variations. They each have 3 eyeshadows, 1 matte bronzer, 1 blush, 1 highlighter and 1 Airbrush face powder. In terms of pigment and color payoff these are among the better ones (I found some of her previous one too sheer.)
Pretty Blushed Beauty is the lighter option with neutral tones for the eyeshadows in a pale champagne glitter topper, medium shimmery taupe grey and soft matte brown. The sparkle shade is best applied in a pressing motion (I like to tap on the eyes as a finisher with my fingers). The medium shimmer shade has super smooth pigment. The matte brown is a really pretty wearable staple color I like to use as a softer contour.
Cheek colors in this palette include a soft matte tan which is on the light-medium side but still shows up deeper than my natural skin tone so I’d call it a soft bronze for me. The highlighter is a pale shimmery champagne with smooth shimmer. Blush is a soft peach on me and the powder matches my skin exactly.
Glowing Beauty has deeper tones with a soft peach champagne shimmer, sparkling copper + silver mix of a glitter shade, medium matte plum brown for the eyes. For cheeks it has a deeper matte neutral cool brown for the bronzer, a shimmery peachy color for the highlighter, a deeper warm rose with a hint of shimmer for the blush. The powder is lighter in color than my skin tone but it melts into the skin and I can make it work. Overall cheek tones for this one is deeper and more bronzy, slightly too deep for my medium tan skin but I can make it work.
Below Glowing Beauty palette and Wedding Belles Lipstick
I think the palettes are lovely and easy to wear for a natural glowing look. However as with most palettes I don’t recommend getting them unless you think you will use most of the shades. I do think the selection for the powder shades were an odd choice since there are so many different skin tones and the two featured in these palettes seem limited.
Lip Colors
I have four items from this collection swatched for the lips. I think some of these have been launched in the past so if you own a lot of Charlotte Tilbury lip products you may want to shop your stash. The K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Lipstick in Nude Romance is a medium peachy brown nude (also swatched here). This one has full coverage, is super creamy and has pretty good lasting power. The Matte Revolution in Wedding Belles (I think another repromote) which is a matte rose pink. I find it to be similar to Pillow Talk on my lips with the Wedding Belles to be a bit more cool-toned. It’s a really lovely everyday kind of rose pink.
I tried two of the Tinted Love Lip stains in Santa Euphoria and Blushed Rose. I have mixed feelings about these. The colors are lovely when swatched on the hand. They look semi-sheer but can be layered on the lips. On my lips they darkened significantly into a deeper rosy stain that looked nothing like they do swatched straight out of the tube. Color and finish is like that natural just-bitten kind of effect but then my lips looked like they started to look dried out. I could probably top with a clear gloss or balm to help add a bit of moisture. Product itself is not bad, just not quite what I expected but then I am usually not a fan of liquid stains for lips because they almost always darken on me.
Swatches + a few comparisons:
Setting Spray
Last a quick mention includes a look at the Airbrush Flawless Scented Setting Spray in White Tea of Bali. It has a really soft pleasant white tea scent. This has a dispenser that sprays a super fine mist and softens the look of powder on the skin. This one comes in the full 100 ml size for $35. You can find the Original Setting Spray unscented option in the 100 ml option for $35 and a Travel Size 34 ml option for $20. It has a similar effect to the Urban Decay All Nighter or the MAC Fix+ for making makeup last. (If you’re shopping for multiple items, I recommend shopping direct through Charlotte Tilbury’s website because she does have bundles with a price break/savings on some things.)
You can find the Look of Love Collection out now at available at Charlotte Tilbury, Sephora, Nordstrom and all other Charlotte Tilbury retailers.
Shop the Post
Have you checked out the collection yet? What did you think about the palettes?
We spent a few days in Miami for a mini getaway and I thought I’d share a roundup of what we did, where we stayed and a few of our favorite places! We booked a trip for my 40th birthday and stayed at The Miami Beach Edition. It’s been on my list for years and we love it – it’s beautiful! Everything was super clean, they good service and good restaurants in the hotel. We ate breakfast at the Market Edition one of the mornings and loved it! The entire hotel is scented in a custom scent for them made by Le Labo. We made sure to stop by the spa before we left to stock up and buy some of the shower gels, candles and more so we could take the scent home with us!
I packed a ton of shorts and tank tops with a few dresses and sandals. I brought several pairs I brought with me but the entire trip I mainly wore my new Tory Burch Double T Sport Slides (run true to size) – they’re super comfortable with no break in needed! The one must-have for beach life are the Eric Javits hats. I have the Hamptons style in a number of colors and love how well they stay on and protect my face from the sun. The tops are woven in a way that truly protects your head and scalp by blocking 95% of UVA and UVB rays. They are quite the splurge but I’ve gotten so much wear out of them.
Items in collage below are clickable to shop! These are the things I packed:
(click on items in carousel to take you directly to each shop page)
Makeup
Shopping
We try to explore different areas each time we go to Miami but we’ve found so many good places we find that we’re often drawn back to our favorites. Below trying on some things at Celine.
The shopping is so good in Miami! My favorite spots are a bit spread apart so I try and limit my visits to a few places each time. The Miami Design District was also on my list and I splurged on some of my wishlist items from Celine and Loewe. So many pretty things there ! (Haul will be posted on IGTV or Stories this week.) The pretty Loewe store below.
This trip we stopped downtown in Brickell City Centre to visit the Chanel Beauty Boutique where they have the entire beauty line, Exclusifs perfumes, all the oils and sunglasses too! I bought the travel size Les Eaux de Chanel in Paris-Riviera (love this!) and the L’Huile Vanille Body Massage Oil (smells just like the Sublimage skincare line). We stopped by Diptyque too and picked up a few things including a Ceramic Candle Snuffer and the new Do Son Hand Cream.
Favorite Eats
Our must-visit places include The Salty Donut, Zak the Baker and Joe’s Stone Crab (I always get their crab cakes). We also love the tacos at Bodega Miami and the food at Call My Gaby is next level amazing. They have this amazing meatball appetizer that I can’t stop thinking about!
Wearing: Hat Madewell, Sunnies Celine, Button Top Treasure and Bond (sold out, similar here), Purse YSL Toy Loulou in Dark Beige
Vizcaya
I’ve saved the best for last! The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens has been on my list for years and this is the first time I planned in advance and ordered tickets. I’m not sure if this is always the case but tickets are sold online only right now. We saw them turn away visitors at the booth who did not have tickets. While some areas in Florida (and maybe where you are too) no longer require masks, some do. This was one of them, even outdoors. The place is beautiful! I highly recommend visiting. A number of areas were undergoing renovations so there were some places we did not get to see. Both Andrew and I thought the estate was beautiful! 10 acres of gardens, water fountains, and a two-story building (second story was closed during our visit).
If you’re planning a trip to Miami you can click on my FLORIDA Travel tag to see what we’ve done and where we have stayed in the past. There is so much to do and see. We love it and always can’t wait to go back to see more! We still haven’t made it to other areas like Palm Beach which is on our list.
A number of you have messaged me about your upcoming Florida travel plans asking for recommendations on what to see and where to stay for the West Coast of Florida. We live in the Tampa Bay side which covers a wide area, more specifically we are in the beach area in St. Petersburg. I will try to put together an updated guide for St. Pete, Clearwater, Bradenton and Sarasota. A lot has changed since I did my post 3 years ago!
I’m hosting a giveaway for an eGift card to The Daily Edited! They make some of my favorite travel cases so I’m going to giveaway a $200 eGift Card to one reader. Not sponsored or affiliated. Open to anyone 18 years and older. All you have to do is enter through the rafflecopter widget below. Complete at least THREE of the entry steps but the more you complete the more entries you get. Giveaway will run through May 21, 2021 11:59 PM EST. I’ll select one winner through the widget and contact them via email. Winner has 72 hours to respond and confirm via email or another winner will be selected in their place.
I’ve been a bit MIA on the blog because we’ve taken a little road trip getaway to the other coast of Florida to celebrate my birthday in Miami! This one is a big one as I have just turned 40! I don’t know if I will have a travel diary on the blog but if you want to see some highlights, I have snippets saves on my Instagram Highlights @beautylookbook under the MIAMI tab. (Thank you so much to all of you who sent the sweetest birthday wishes!)
Pouch shown was a GWP on Dior’s website from a few weeks ago, but I just saw it online at Saks (says available with a $150 purchase, while supplies last through May 15)
Eyeshadow Palettes
There are two new limited-edition eyeshadow palettes in the 5 Couleurs Couture format called Mirage 699 and Dune 759. Both are shimmery with a marbled swirl of color mixed in. Mirage is the softer of the two with warm copper, corals and peach shades – they all blend into very similar tones once on the skin but if you layer them with the sponge applicator or a dense brush you can see some more variation. Texture feels super lightweight with medium pigment. I would have liked to see more variation and contrast in the colors to create a more complete eye look. By itself it does give a nice ombre effect.
Dune is more sparkly with tiny micro sparkles. This pulls very warm by itself but if you add a cream brown shadow as a base you can make it more neutral. I added the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Cocoa to help create more dimension/contrast. Application is smooth and shimmery. The micro sparkles seemed to adhere pretty well with minimal fallout.
For the cheeks I could not resist picking up the new Diorskin Nude Luminizer in Pink Dune 001 and Peach Dune 002. Both have a smooth beautiful shimmer. The colors themselves aren’t the most unique but I think they’re very wearable for a nice glow that isn’t over the top. Pink Dune is a shimmery light pink and Peach Dune is a peach gold.
Lips
I hauled a lot of the new glosses! The Addict Stellar Gloss in Golden Hour 110 is one of the new ones for summer which is a sheer pale gold shimmer. It’s almost clear on the lips with an opalescent sheen. I also picked up Dior Garden 213 which is a pale shimmery lilac pink (also almost clear) and Sunrise 611 (nude pink caramel) both new but not part of the summer launch.
I already featured the new Lip Maximizer in Shimmer Bronze 023 in this post here. This one is a warm coppery bronze with a soft sheen. It pulls very orange on my complexion which I think is fun for summer!
Last but not least for lips, I ordered the Addict Lacquer Stick in Nude Desert 323. I love this formula and wish there were more lighter neutrals available. This is a creamy nude, on my lips it looks more flesh toned than it does in the tube – but this could just be my pigmented lips and tan. I really love this one! (Wearing this in the top photo.)
Nail Polish
The last thing I have to share from the Dior Summer Dune collection is the Nail Polish in Dune. This looks like a peachy brown online, in real life it is a lot more brown and deeper in color. I’m personally not a huge fan but after showing a sneak peek on stories I received an overwhelming number of messages and responses on this one. Apparently most of you LOVE it! It did grow on me a little. I will say that I do think it is a unique peachy brown shade – I haven’t seen anything quite like it.
Overall some pretty launches for summer with good performance and wearable colors. I don’t think anything is a stand out for being super unique and while the eyeshadows are really stunning, I wish there was a bit more variation/contrast in the palettes.
After playing with everything the top 3 stand outs are the Addict Lacquer Stick in Nude Desert, Addict Stellar Gloss in Sunrise and Diorskin Luminizer in Peach Dune. I think I will be more of a fan of the Chanel Les Beiges Summer 2021 collection which just launched online at Chanel.com and will be reviewed very soon!
If you’ve been looking for swatches of Dior Summer Dune Collection I hope this helped you! Have you checked out anything from the summer launch yet? If so what did you think?
