Sabrina, Author at The Beauty Look Book

New Shades of YSL Rouge Volupte Shines for Spring

April 2, 2021

The YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Lipstick Balm is one of my favorite lip formulas of all time and I am beyond thrilled they added more colors, available at Sephora. There are eight new shades in their Burning Chilis collection and I hauled a handful immediately. I have a closer look at six of them along with a roundup of a few other YSL Beauty staples I have in rotation right now.

Touche Eclat

YSL has some of the most elegant complexion products and concealers to create a beautiful glow. The items in their Touche Eclat lineup are my favorites. I love the Touche Eclat All-In-One Glow Foundation for a fresh natural glow with good lasting power. I use the shade B40 Sand (neutral undertone) and like that it also has SPF in it. It makes the skin look fresh and dewy.

For concealer the Touche Eclat All Over Brightening Concealer Pen is a classic I think everyone should try. I love this under the eyes to brighten dark circles or tired looking eyes. A little goes a long way in the click-brush applicator. It’s 100% worth the splurge. I use Shade 3 Luminous Peach or 4.5 Luminous Sand. It’s easy to blend with fingers or a sponge and does not crease.

I also adore the All Over Glow Powder. It comes in one versatile shade and for my skintone I can use it as a blurring finishing powder with a hint of glow.

New Rouge Volupte Shine

For the new shades of Rouge Volupte Shine there is a good mix of neutrals and modern bolds. The formula melts into the lips flawlessly with a lightweight veil of hydration. Color is sheer-medium but buildable with the prettiest shine. They make the lips glow! You can create a day or night look with the colors:

Colors I hauled:

121 Beige Satin is a medium brown beige
122 Burnt Zellige is a brown red
123 Nude Transparent is a golden beige with a hint of shimmer
124 Rose Loulou is a fresh rosy pink
127 Rouge Studio is a bold pink red
130 Burnt Suede is a pretty rosewood

All the colors are beautiful it’s hard to pick a favorite, but I love 123 and 124! You can find them available now at Sephora. I highly recommend picking up at least one new shade, or saving them to your wishlist for the upcoming Sephora Spring Savings Event coming soon!

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Sponsored by YSL Beauty.

Lips

Spring Neutral Beige Lipstick Edit

April 1, 2021

This roundup is for all of you neutral lip lovers out there! There are a lot of new beige nudes for lips this spring. I have a roundup of eight newer colors swatched side by side and on the lips for you. For these neutrals I will be quite frank that a lot of them look nearly identical on my medium tone skin and pigmented lips. These tones complement my medium tank skin tone in a way that makes them look very similar on the face. However when swatched side by side on the arm you will be able to see the difference in texture, undertone and finish more.

Since many of you have lighter, darker, cooler, or warmer skin tones – I hope the added descriptions and side by side swatches will help you! While they’re the same color family, there are differences in texture, coverage, undertone, finish. I’m one who is always a sucker for a good neutral beige lip but I do not think you need all of these.

Swatches in different lighting:

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine 123 Nude Transparent

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine in Nude Transparent ($38, at Sephora)

Coverage: medium but buildalble
Color: sheer golden beige with a hint of shimmer
Finish/texture: high shine, glossy + smooth, balm-like

In all the photos I am wearing the same color except for the lips:

Foundation: Chantecaille Future Skin Cushion in Nude
Powder: Sisley Phyto Poudre Compact Shade 3
Concealer: YSL Touche Eclat Shade 3
Eyeshadows: Too Faced Born This Way The Natural Nudes
Brows: Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil Shade 3.5
Mascara: NARS Climax Extreme
Blush: Laura Mercier Powder Blush in Fresco
Highlighter: Chanel Perles De Lumiere Illuminating Blush (review here)
Tee: Reformation

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Chanel Rouge Coco Bloom in 110 Chance

Chanel Rouge Coco Bloom ($40, available at Chanel.com)

Coverage: full coverage
Color: peachy beige, pulls very warm on me (if you’re fair/lighter this will also look warm)
Finish/texture: glossy and hydrating

Other shades of this formula swatched here.

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NARS Soft Matte Tinted Lip Balm Intimate

NARS Soft Matte Tinted Lip Balm in Intimate ($28, at Sephora)

Coverage: sheer-medium
Color: soft diffused matte neutral-cool beige
Finish/texture: weightless airbrushed smooth matte

More shades of the Soft Matte Tinted Lip Balm swatched in this post here.

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Dior Rouge Dior Lipstick in 100 Nude Look

Dior Rouge Dior Lipstick in Nude Look ($38, at Sephora, Nordstom, Dior)

Coverage: full
Color: dusty pink nude
Finish/texture: matte finish, smooth texture

Also has a matching Lip Liner version (swatched here)

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Hermes Satin Lipstick in 17 Beige Ebloui

Hermes Satin Lipstick in Beige Ebloui ($72, ordered mine from Nordstrom)

Coverage: medium to full
Color: soft beige cream
Finish/texture: creamy, classic

My other Hermes lipsticks swatched here: Hermes Lipstick Haul

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Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick in Nude Romance

Charlotte Tilbury Nude Romance ($37, exclusive to Charlotte Tilbury)

Coverage: full
Color: peachy nude with brown tones
Finish/texture: opaque, creamy, rich

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MAC Powder Kiss in Teddy 2.0

MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick in Teddy 2.0 ($17)

Coverage: medium to full
Color: soft matte neutral beige
Finish/texture: soft powdery matte, smooth with a diffused look

This one can be on the drying side for my lips, if you prep with the MAC Prep and Prime lip first it does help.

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Sisley Le Phyto-Rouge Lipstick in Beige Manhattan

Sisley Le Phyto-Rouge Lipstick in 15 Beige Manhattan* ($60, at Nordstrom and Sisley)

Coverage: full
Color: neutral cooler toned beige, almost looks pink-rose on my lips/skintone
Finish/texture: creamy comfortable, hydrating

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If you had any of these on your wishlist I hope this roundup helps with you your purchasing decisions! I asked Andrew if he could tell the difference between any of these and he said they all look the same too color-wise. In person he could tell the difference in finish as in shiny versus not shiny, lol. He agreed the difference is more noticeable when you swatch them on the arms side by side.

Do you like to wear beige neutrals? What’s your favorite lipstick formula? Let me know if you want another roundup like this but with a different color family like pink nude, rose, mauve, red etc.

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Skincare

Maintaining Healthy Youthful Skin with ALASTIN Skincare

March 29, 2021

I’ve been testing out a new skincare line called Alastin Skincare for the past few months and have been really impressed with their products! Alastin is a physician-dispensed skincare line with products designed to restore and renew skin and keep it healthy looking. A number of their products have what they call TriHex Technology formulated to support pre and post procedure recovery. Their medical grade skincare contains ingredients to help speed up the renewal and skin rejuvenation process.

I’ve found the line to be great for anti-aging and helping improve elasticity. This is the last year I’ll be in my 30’s and I’ve found my skin no longer has the same bounce it did when I was younger. It’s definitely needed some extra help to improve elasticity and deal with fine lines that have started to creep in. I’ve really liked everything I tried from Alastin Skincare and am thrilled to partner with them to share a closer look at what I’ve tested!

Their Daily Product lineup is straight forward and easy to incorporate into your existing routine. I love that everything absorbs nicely into the skin without feeling heavy or thick. All of their products have a really nice calming component and no added fragrance.

Step 1: Cleanse

Gentle Cleanser is gentle and calming cleanser – one I will definitely repurchase! It has ingredients to soften and calm the skin including Oat Beta Glucan and Oat Kernel Extract. One pump is enough to cleanse the face and it’s gentle enough to use day and night. It has a nice self-foaming action and it’s especially great for days I have skin flare ups and sensitive skin.

Step 2: Renew and Restore

To renew and restore the skin Alastin has three products they recommend for daily use. The Restorative Skin Complex is a serum concentrate designed to support the product of new elastin and collagen. With regular use I noticed fine lines start to soften around the 2 month mark. It’s lightweight and my skin texture has improved with this!

The Restorative Eye Treatment is an excellent lightweight eye cream with a gel texture. It noticeably brightens and smooths the eye area and helps me with puffiness. For my skin type and needs it has the perfect texture that absorbs into the skin well. It’s great for me since I live in humid climate and it’s not too heavy or emollient.

As I age, I’ve started to notice certain areas need more love and care. I’ve tried a number of neck creams but typically find them on the heavy side and rarely stick to using them consistently. The Restorative Neck Complex is lightweight lotion that was formulated to help with tightening, firming and combat skin and age discoloration on the neck. I love the packaging and truly appreciate the lightweight texture. My neck is one area I’ve neglected and I am thrilled to have found a product I actually love.

Step 3: Moisturize

The next step is to moisturize with their Ultra Nourishing Moisturizer which is a nice calming oil-free fragrance-free formula. As with all the products I tried I love that they have a soothing component and there is no added fragrance. This one is a great smoothing moisturizer for everyday and works with my foundations.

Step 4: Protect

The HydraTint Pro Mineral Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF36 is probably my favorite item that I tried from the line! So many of you have asked for a good mineral sunscreen recommendation and this is the first one I feel like I truly love. There’s no white cast, it blends easily, isn’t too thick (although it is creamy) and does not pill on my face. I have extremely sensitive skin that reacts to a number of sunscreen formulas (both physical and chemical) and I was thrilled to find this one works for me!

It’s oil-free, fragrance-free, reef-friendly and water resistant. The product has a sheer tint to it with a beige undertone. It blends into my skin perfectly and for me it will work even once I get my summer tan although I do hope they expand this into a few other shade options. This formula is really great.

Step 5: Transform

The last product I tried is the TransFORM Body Treatment which is a lightweight body smoother. It’s a nice non-fragranced body lotion which I can apply in the morning or night. I am super picky with lotions I wear to sleep and this one is gentle and lightweight enough that it absorbs into the skin nicely without making me sticky. It helps improve texture and smooths the skin.

Overall I’ve been pleasantly surprised by everything I’ve tried in the Alastin Skincare range. I love their streamlined packaging and the fact that everything has a sanitary pump applicator to keep things fresh and clean. You can find their products on their website. More information about their TriHex Technology here and if you’re one who has any work done I recommend checking out their Procedure Enhancement lineup too.

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Many thanks to Alastin Skincare for partnering to sponsor this post. As always all opinions are my own.

Chanel Lips

Chanel Rouge Coco Bloom Review + Swatches

March 28, 2021

Chanel launched a new lipstick formula called the Rouge Coco Bloom and I have swatches of almost all of the colors today! This is a glossy hydrating plumping lipstick with lots of shine and color. If you love the Rouge Coco Flash formula but want more coverage and pigment you will love these! They’re currently available now at Chanel.com.

There are 20 shades available in the US. I have 19 of them swatched today. I wasn’t able to get all of them lip swatched but can do in a separate part 2 post if you are interested. The formula of these lipsticks is beautiful! There is a noticeable plumping effect on my lips without the tingle. They have a creamy smooth texture that glides on the flawlessly with full coverage. They’re comfortable with a moisturizing feel. Scent-wise there is a very subtle almost skincare-like scent to them, it’s not noticeable to me unless I put the tube right on my nose and on the lips I don’t notice it at all.

Colors swatched below in numerical order by their names. They’re mostly creams with a few that have a shimmer. The only one I don’t have is 112 Opportunity (it was back ordered in the initial launch but is not available to order at Chanel.com):

110 Chance – creamy beige
114 Glow – medium brown with a hint of plum
116 Dream – soft warm pink
118 Radiant – mauve with hint of plum

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120 Freshness – medium plum
122 Zenith – soft coral
124 Merveille – pink coral
126 Season – hot pink
128 Magic – warm coral red

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130 Blossom – bright coral
132 Vivacity – coral with hint of red
134 Sunlight – orange
136 Destiny – bright bold pink
138 Vitalite – blue based pink red

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140 Alive – bold classic red with a subtle shimmer
142 Burst – deep bright rose pink, has a subtle shimmer
144 Unexpected – deeper red
146 Blast – plum berry
148 Surprise – deeper plum brown

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Some of the shades swatched on bare lips below. They’re full coverage with one-swipe and I love them! There are only a small handful of neutrals in this launch. I feel like most of the colors pull bold pink and red. My top three so far are Chance, Dream and Zenith. For skintone reference I wear Chanel B40 in the foundations, wearing:

Foundation – Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow in B40
Powder – Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless in Medium
Brows – Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil in 3.5
Eyeshadow – Chanel Les 4 Ombres in Candeur Et Experience and Hourglass Scattered Light Eyeshadow in Ray
Mascara – Chanel Le Volume de Chanel
Blush – Chanel Fleur de Printemps
Tee – ATM Schoolboy Tee in Tan

Bottom line love. The formula is excellent – everything I want in a lipstick! Glossy, good coverage, hydrating, not heavy, doesn’t slide off the lips and flattering.

You can find these at Chanel.com now. Have you tried these yet? What did you think?

Chanel Rouge Coco Bloom provided for review.

Lips Pat McGrath Labs

Pat McGrath Labs LiquiLUST Review

March 24, 2021

I have a look at some new liquid lipstick colors today with swatches of the Pat McGrath Labs LiquiLUST Legendary Wear Matte Lipsticks. She launched 2 shades in Divine Nude and Divine Rose earlier this year (review + swatches here) and just added 6 more colors to the formula lineup. Available online at Pat McGrath and Sephora.

These are long-wear liquid lipsticks with a matte finish. Once they dry they have a matte budge-proof finish. They stayed put on the lips. Being a matte finish they do have that dry matte lip look but they did not feel drying on the lips. I like the color range and if you’re looking for a matte liquid lip I think these are worth checking out! I am not the biggest fan of matte lips since I’m more of a glossy lipstick person. I prefer the look of her MatteRevolution Lipsticks on my lips but those aren’t transfer or budge proof like these LiquiLUST.

All the colors applied smoothly with full coverage. Since I have a darker lip than the lightest shade I did have to swipe a few times to get an even layer. These come with a pointed sponge tip applicator.

New colors include:

Nude Cabaret – soft peachy pink nude
Spellbound – warm brown
Wild Orchid – purple plum orchid
Pink Desire – bold warm pink
Elson 4 – perfect bold red
Flesh 3 – deeper red brown

Swatches:

Swatch comparisons:

On bare lips:

Foundation – Pat McGrath Skin Fetish Foundation Light Medium 14
Concealer – Pat McGrath Skin Fetish Concealer in Light Medium 14
Undereye Setting Powder – Pat McGrath Skin Fetish Blurring Under Eye Powder in Medium
Powder – Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush in Medium
Blush – Chanel Alezane
Highlighter – Pat McGrath Divine Rose
Mascara – Pat McGrath Dark Star Mascara

New colors side by side (Divine Nude and Divine Rose reviewed here):

You can find all the colors of the LiquiLUST available online at Pat McGrath and Sephora. If you’re shopping more than one color Pat McGrath has bundles available on her website including the Everything Kit, LiquiLUST Duo and LiquiLUST Trio. Bottom line a solid formula, beautiful colors and long lasting power.

LiquiLUST provided for review.

Skincare

Skincare Staples From Kiehl’s + Friends and Family Sale

March 22, 2021

One of my go-to brands in skincare is having a Friends and Family sale and I’m excited to share an early access code for you a few days early! Kiehl’s is offering 25% off sitewide this week through 3/24 with code EARLY25 (public sale starts 3/25). I’ve partnered with them to share a closer look at a couple of skincare staples I’ve added to my routine.

Ultra Facial Cream

The Ultra Facial Cream is one of their classic skincare staples. It’s a lightweight cream suitable for all skin types (even my sensitive skin). It absorbs well and never feels heavy. It contains Glacial Glycoprotein to add hydration and prevent water loss from the skin and Squalane to strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier. The formula layers well with their serums and sunscreens too. I especially love that there is no fragrance or scent to it. (Full ingredient list on their product page.)

Ultra Facial Cleanser

A new discovery for me is the Ultra Facial Cleanser. Out of all the skincare products out there, I love testing cleansers! This is a really nice foaming cleanser that is gentle, effective but won’t strip the skin. It has Squalane, Apricot Kernels and Avocado Oil. I really like this one because it cleanses the skin well without leaving it super tight. Available in two sizes including a 2.5 oz ($12) and 5.0 oz ($22).

The Kiehl’s Friends and Family 25% Off Sale is available with code EARLY25. Early access is open now through 3/24.

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Sponsored by Kiehl’s.

Sisley-Paris

New Sisley Le Phyto-Blush + So Stretch Mascara

March 19, 2021

I have some new Sisley launches to review today! They recently added a few things to their makeup line including the new Sisley Le Phyto-Blush ($80 each) and So Stretch Mascara ($72). With anything Sisley you can expect that the price points will be extremely high but the quality is always exceptional. I personally really love their skincare and hair care line. I have a few favorites in their makeup but haven’t tried a lot.

So Stretch Mascara

The So Stretch Mascara is a lengthening mascara that performs well for me. It lengthens and defines and does not smudge. It does a pretty good job at holding the curl even though it’s not waterproof. The applicator is perfect for my lashes – it did a good job at coating them all evenly while defining them. No clumping at all! I have low expectations for most mascaras and I like this one enough that I will repurchase in a few months.

Le Phyto Blush

The Le Phyto Blush is a powder blush with a soft texture that blends beautifully into the skin. I purchased two from Nordstrom and the Sisley team also sent a couple for me to try. There are some matte finish colors that have a soft satin matte and then there are a couple of shimmers that act more like highlighters on my skin. I like that they add a nice chic flush of color to the face. For my skin tone I think the colors I ended up with are best when layered together but I swatched them and applied them on my face below just by themselves. These come in a beautiful mirrored compact that is super sturdy.

I found lasting power to be pretty good! For the shimmers I noticed it emphasized some texture when I applied them alone like a blush. For me the shimmery colors are best as a soft highlighter. Formula-wise these are excellent. Color-wise I think they can be easily duped with other brands. While the quality, pigment, texture and packaging are beautiful I have a hard time saying these are worth the $80 price tag.

Colors I have below, 1 Pink Peony is a soft matte baby pink

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3 Coral is a matte coral

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4 Golden Rose is a peachy rose pink in the pan, on my skin it looks more like a soft gold shimmer

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6 Shimmer is a light champagne colored shimmer

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Swatches below, along side comparison swatches to some of their Phyto Blush Twist:

On the skin, also wearing the new Chanel Sublimage L’Essence de Teint in B40 (review soon, but I think it is incredible!), YSL Touche Eclat in Shade 4.5, Sisley Phyto Poudre Compact in 3 Sandy (love this for a soft pressed matte powder). Lips for each blush listed below:

Sisley Le Phyto Blush in 1 Pink Peony with Phyto Lip Twist in 2 Baby (swatched here too)
Sisley Le Phyto Blush in 3 Coral with Le Phyto-Gloss in 6 Paradise (review here)
Sisley Le Phyto Blush in 4 Golden Rose with Phyto Lip Twist in 11 Litchi
Sisley Le Phyto Blush in 6 Shimmer on top of Laura Mercier Powder Blush Fresco with Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick in Nude Romance on the lips

Overall solid launches and quality-wise everything is excellent, true to Sisley’s usual standards. Performance is good for everything and I think you will love them if you try. I don’t know that I can say I think they are worth the steep price tag when you can find colors that have a similar vibe for the blushes.

Have you tried these? Or any other makeup items from Sisley? What did you think? You can find these available at Nordstrom and Sisley as well as at all other Sisley counters.

Pink Peony and Coral and Mascara provided for review. Other shades purchased by me.

Older Posts

Newer Posts

Sabrina

New Shades of YSL Rouge Volupte Shines for Spring

Touche Eclat

New Rouge Volupte Shine

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Spring Neutral Beige Lipstick Edit

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine 123 Nude Transparent

Chanel Rouge Coco Bloom in 110 Chance

NARS Soft Matte Tinted Lip Balm Intimate

Dior Rouge Dior Lipstick in 100 Nude Look

Hermes Satin Lipstick in 17 Beige Ebloui

Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick in Nude Romance

MAC Powder Kiss in Teddy 2.0

Sisley Le Phyto-Rouge Lipstick in Beige Manhattan

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Maintaining Healthy Youthful Skin with ALASTIN Skincare

Step 1: Cleanse

Step 2: Renew and Restore

Step 3: Moisturize

Step 4: Protect

Step 5: Transform

Shop the Post:

Chanel Rouge Coco Bloom Review + Swatches

Pat McGrath Labs LiquiLUST Review

Skincare Staples From Kiehl’s + Friends and Family Sale

Ultra Facial Cream

Ultra Facial Cleanser

Shop the Post along with a few other favorites:

New Sisley Le Phyto-Blush + So Stretch Mascara

So Stretch Mascara

Le Phyto Blush

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