Chanel launched another Holiday Beauty Set for this year called the Active Beauty Set ($221). It seems to be exclusive to Chanel.com and and Chanel beauty boutiques. The set has three full-sized permanent items in a large pouch. I love that Chanel released two sizes of pouches this year, the fluffy bag with the snowflake charm is so cute.
I ordered the Active Beauty Set online at Chanel.com and my order came with a cute little charm. I am not sure if all online orders come with one but I do know a lot of stores and counters have them with holiday purchases. The snowflake charm is one I got from my SA in store.
This set has the La Creme Main hand cream (my favorite for a non-sticky formula), UV Essentiel (love this formula) and a Hydra Beauty Essence Mist (scented but I love it).
Quick side by side look at the Active Beauty Set (large pouch) and Maximum Brilliance Set (small/regular pouch, swatches in this post here, still in stock!). You can buy all the items individually and they do not give you a price break for buying a set, but for a holiday gift I think the pouch sets have such a beautiful presentation and definitely have that wow factor.
Tom Ford reformulated a few of their lip products for the Lip Color Lipstick ($62 each) + Lip Pencils ($46). It seems a number of items are going through a revamp as it appears the Foundation Stick has been pulled (or not restocked) along with a few other items. I hauled quite a few of the new shades and am 10/10 happy with everything I picked out.
It has been a while since I’ve repurchased a Tom Ford lipstick and have to say I am shocked at the prices these days. I don’t know that luxury makeup is “worth” the steep price tags that keep increasing, but I have been really pleased with the performance, quality and colors with this particular haul. If you missed out on the Sephora sale, keep an eye out for upcoming holiday sales. A lot of retailers offer a good discount (flash sale) or gift card events and with Cyber Week approaching I’m sure you will be able to find these at a lower price.
Lip Color Lipstick
Tom Ford Beauty Lip Colors have been reformulated and with nearly every single brand revamping or repackaging I suppose it was only a matter of time before Tom Ford followed. The new formula has a little more slip to it. It glides on the lips better, isn’t quite as opaque, has a tiny bit of shine but still has great color payoff. I think the new formula is a noticeable improvement for a more modern look. The original was a classic for sure but because some of the colors were so opaque (especially the pale ones) they ended up looking a little too heavy.
The new formula looks a little more natural on the lips while still being a true classic lipstick formula. These still have the same classic soft vanilla scent and mahogany + gold packaging (which I love). I am a bit sad they didn’t keep all the shades though.
Shades I hauled below:
Spanish Pink is a nude pink, it’s more wearable and a bit warmer than the original
Sable Smoke is still the same flattering beige nude I remember (unfortunately I don’t have the original anymore to compare)
West Coast is a 90s kind of brown cinnamon sepia shade
Slip is a blue-based baby pink
Runway Rose is a plum pink rose
Casablanca is a mauve pink, the new one seems to have less grey undertone and I can actually wear the new version (the original one made me look a little ashy)
Impassioned is a pretty reddish plum, it’s almost identical to the original, I could barely tell the difference between the two variations
I ordered mine sight unseen and was lucky every single color works for me! Lasting power is just like the original formula and stays put for hours but fades nicely/evenly. These are a solid win for me.
Lip Pencil
Tom Ford revamped their Lip Pencil and the formula is exceptionally good. It’s everything I want in a lip liner! Formula is smooth, creamy, opaque, doesn’t look too dry on the lips and stays on the lips really well. They’re not completely budge-proof but they adhere well to the lips. I do miss some of the shades in the older formula (ones with the brush) but the four I picked are stunning. The colors I bought are all variations of a neutral tone.
101 Close-Up is a nude pink
102 Re-See is a light beige
103 Irresistible is a tan brown
106 A-List is the perfect brown tone
Overall some solid wins even though I’m not too happy about the ridiculously steep prices. Quality is 10/10 and they launched some really beautiful classic colors that you can apply without any fuss or tweaking.
I picked mine up from Sephora and Nordstrom. Available at all Tom Ford Beauty counters now.
I have a Gucci Beauty haul to share for the holiday collection! If any of these items catch your eye I recommend buying them quickly because they are limited-edition and one of the blush shades has already sold out.
I spotted the Holiday Quad Eyeshadow Palette in Festive Glow (Bloomingdale’s and Saks Fifth Avenue) last month while traveling. I shared a quick snapshot asking what many of you thought about this palette. I initially passed because it was a glitter fallout mess when I swatched at the counter. An overwhelming amount of responses told me to give it a second try. Many of you said on the eyes it blends better and there was no fall out with a brush application. You were RIGHT! This is a beautiful quad with three shimmer sparkles and one soft matte.
Colors are beautiful but the formula is just ok in my opinion. It’s a solid B+/A- for me in terms of texture, the matte is on the sheer/soft side but I do think that was the intent with this creation. I do think the shades are dupeable across different palettes but they are extremely beautiful for a holiday eye look. I am happy I bought this although I would not call it a must-have.
Holiday Blush de Beaute
I love the Gucci Blush de Beaute formula and especially the new shades (peach is still available at Sephora, Saks and Bloomingdale’s). It’s a satiny luminous matte. The pigment is soft but easy to build. Soft Peach is a very soft brownish nude peach on my skin, it is very natural looking because of my skin tone but I love the look and finish. Intense Ruby surprised me because it looks a little intimidating in the pan. It’s a raspberry pink but is very easy to blend. Right now the ruby shade seems to be sold out but I do think it’s close to the True Plum shade. If you can find it definitely snag it as fast as you can!
Soft Peach
Intense Ruby
Hydrating Plumping Glosses
Another initial miss for me was the Hydrating Plumping Gloss (Sephora, Gucci Beauty, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s). I picked up the light pink shade Bertha Pink months ago and I was not impressed. There was no color payoff and the tingle was pretty intense. Not to mention the very strong cherry-like scent. I was again swayed by many of you to try again, but a different shade and thanks to you I did! The darker or bolder shades definitely show up on the lips and the plumping effect is the most intense I’ve seen on my lips. It volumizes the size of my lips dramatically and the tingle/scent only stays for a few minutes then fades. I am glad to report these do not numb my lips but your mileage may vary depending on your sensitivity.
Bertha Pink is a pretty pink in the tube but gives zero color. Suzane Brown is a soft brown shade. Mina Rosewood is the new shade for HOLIDAY which is a plum mauve (I love this color).
Holiday Collection swatches, there are also some red lipsticks I think are repromotes but I didn’t end up picking any up
Overall some beautiful launches. Quite the splurge so if you’re looking to save I recommend picking them up at Sephora while the sale is still here!
With the Sephora sale in full swing I’m sharing my favorites in skincare, body care and fragrance today. As a beauty creator I am fortunate to be able to try a wide range of products. I love trying new skincare but to keep my list edited I’m focusing on my tried and true staples, ie products I repurchase over and over again. Dates and details below, use code SAVINGS if shopping online! (some exclusions apply):
Rouge members 20% off: 11/1 – 11/11
VIBs 15% off: 11/5 – 11/11
Insiders 10% off: 11/5 – 11/11
All Sephora Collection 30% off: 11/1 – 11/11
Makeup Removers and Cleansers
For removing makeup double cleansing is still a must to effectively remove all traces of makeup or sunscreen. I love a good cleansing oil but my favorite isn’t sold at Sephora (it’s this one from Chanel). I do have several solid balm makeup removers I love which I’ll list below.
Farmacy Green Clean is one of the best makeup remover balms. I love the classic one and this is the one I always keep stocked at home, but their limited-edition scented ones are always so fun for me to try.
Elemis and Clinique also make great solid cleansing balms, but I feel like the Farmacy one is the best and most effective.
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser is the best everyday cleanser for me and Andrew. After trying dozens of cleansers over the years I have to say this has the best consistency to clean the skin without drying it.
Serums and Moisturizers
I’ve been neglecting essence treatments this year but I think I need to start using one again since they really make a difference! I just repurchased the La Mer Treatment Lotion for the sale.
I would rank the La Mer and Charlotte Tilbury in my top 2 right now. Those are the two formulas I packed with me in October. While La Mer is quite the splurge, I do think it has been worth it for me. I have repurchased the Moisturizing Soft Cream multiple times and also bought one to gift to my sister-in-law for Mother’s Day and she loves it.
With any of these formulas I highly recommend checking out a travel set or value set to try first. I always find it helpful to try something in a smaller size to sample before committing to the full size. Some great options:
Several of you asked me if I use retinol or tretinoin – I do not. I have really loved the Kiehl’s Micro-Dose Retinol Serum in the past but haven’t repurchased in a while. Right now I’ve been loving La Mer’s new Rejuvenating Night Cream. I’ve been using this for several months now and every other night (it is suitable to use nightly though) and I 10/10 love it.
Eye Treatments
I have a few eye treatments I love from Sephora. The La Mer Eye Concentrate Cream is my go-to right now. It has the best consistency and texture for me – not too thick and not too thin. It helps with fine lines and hydration.
I have used pore clearing and detox masks the most this year out of any face mask or treatment. I have three I think are 100% worth checking out. Innisfree Super Volcanic AHA Pore Clearing Clay Mask is one of the most gentle pore masks I’ve tried and I’m obsessed. Caudalie Pore Minimizing Instant Detox Mask is also excellent but it’s on the stronger side (absorbs a LOT of excess oil). A few readers recommended the La Mer Deep Purifying Mask to me earlier this year. I decided to give it a try and it 10/10 lives up to the hype from you! It is quite the splurge and currently sold out online but you can always add the notification restock alert to your account if you’re interested.
I love trying different body washes and shower creams. I don’t have any loyalty to a particular formula or brand as I love trying new ones all the time. I will say I gravitate towards ones that can be unisex or have that clean smell because Andrew likes to use them too. Our top three most repurchased formulas are the Ouai Dean Street Body Wash, Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Play Body Wash and Jack Black Turbo Wash. I will say that for winter the turbo wash is a little too drying so we’ve switched it out for the Necessaire Body Wash in Santal (love this Body Wash Discovery Set they’ve launched this year).
For a shower oil Andrew loves the L’occitane Almond Shower Oil. We used to love the Shea Shower Cream but they changed the formula/scent recently and it has an unflattering floral scent to it now.
That wraps up my current skincare and body care favorites! I know finding the best skincare can be overwhelming as it really takes time to try and see if something works for your skin type or needs. I really wish there was 1 single brand I could use all of my skincare from. If I had to pick just one I think Drunk Elephant has the best variety and range.
If you’re looking for recommendations I hope you found this post helpful!
Summer Fridays Sheer Skin Tint – one of my most-reached for skin tints that has a very fluid texture and sheer finish, I wear Shade 4 or 5
It Cosmetics CC+ Nude Glow – has a little more coverage than a traditional skin tint, but the best CC+ cream I’ve tried because it’s not as heavy as most, I wear Medium Tan
All of my favorite skin tints are reviewed in this Best Skin Tints for Summer post (note not all of them are available at Sephora, but it has all my shades + swatches listed).
Dior Forever Skin Perfect Foundation Stick – one of the newest foundations I’ve tried and love, it blends out easily and feels weightless on the skin, I wear 2.5N or 3N, application in action here
I feel like I don’t have new favorites for powders except for those Hourglass Palettes which are sold out online. There are 3 favorites I have with shimmer and 3 more that are more satiny/matte.
Laura Mercier Blush Color Infusion – a classic formula that will work for any skin type or age, particularly beautiful if you don’t want to wear shimmer
That wraps up my makeup favorites for the holiday savings event! What’s on your list/radar?
I’m going to be hosting several giveaways this holiday season! Kicking it off with a $250 egift card for Sephora (US site) to one Beauty Lookbook reader! It is open to anyone 18+ and to enter for a chance to win, use the widget below to enter. Best if you open this on a desktop browser or Chrome. Giveaway ends 11/5/2024 11:45 PM est. I’ll pick a winner from the entries within 48 hours and announce on this blog post and email them directly from [email protected].
Westman Atelier has some beautiful holiday sets this year and I’ve been thoroughly enjoying them this past month! I ordered three sets the day they launched and they’ve been truly perfect for my recent travels. I used every single product throughout my weekend trip in NYC and also for the past couple weeks in Miami Beach.
These sets are quite the splurge but there are holiday sales and savings events coming up. If you haven’t picked one up yet or have your eye on one of these definitely add them to your shopping wish list for the Sephora Sale!
By now I’ve already swatched all three in action on Instagram Reels, but I promised many of you swatches and a review here. Here are the three sets I picked up, I really love that these include some new shades:
I have to say Westman Atelier wins for the best holiday packaging this year. I love the different colors of the pink and green tones for her limited-editions this year. They’re so beautiful and fun! The Lip Suede Matte Lipstick Trio has 3 full-sized lipsticks. I reviewed the formula when she launched the lipsticks earlier this year and I think the formula is excellent although I still don’t know that I’d say they are worth the steep price tag but they are very good.
Shades in this set:
Dash is exclusive to the set, it’s a stunning red
Fluffy is also exclusive, it’s a nude rose pink
Je Reve is a mauve blush nude, on me it pulls a bit dark but I think it’s a very pretty shade
I rarely wear reds but I do love the one in this set. I love it dabbed on the cheeks very lightly for a soft flush. For a matte the formula is top notch. It’s smooth, super creamy and doesn’t apply patchy. It also doesn’t look or feel dry but they still have a velvety finish. For the price I do think that Prada Lipsticks have a better formula, but the Westman Atelier ones perform well. For skintone reference I wear her Vital Skin Foundation Stick in V or VI and Vital Skincare Concealer in M3.
Petite Fete Edition
The Petite Fete Edition is my favorite of the three sets. It has two new cheek shades in minis and a Eye Want You miniature mascara!
Bubble Baby Cheeks Blush Stick is a cool toned pink with gold shimmer, it pulls cooler toned but the pigment is VERY good. It’s more pigmented than her cream finish baby cheeks and I can also wear this on the lips.
Toast Lit Up Stick is her best one yet, it’s a taupe with a hint of rose pink tones in the sparkle, I love this on the eyes too.
The mascara isn’t the most practical due to the size, but the wand is decent sized and you can definitely coat the lashes, but in general mini mascaras aren’t really my favorite. I do like that you can pack it into a clutch or small pouch if you have limited makeup bag space.
I still think set this is worth the splurge. Below wearing Bubble + Toast on cheeks and Bubble on the lips.
Baby Cheeks Blush Stick Petite Trio
I ended up liking this year’s Baby Cheeks Blush Stick Petite Trio more than I anticipated. It has 3 existing shades but I really love the size of these and the variation was perfect for my trip. I used every single shade on different days.
Petal is a shade I think we’ve seen in nearly every set, I do think it’s a very flattering one that goes with almost everything though
Poppet surprised me because it’s a VERY intense bright pink, but it blends out really nicely and the pigment is easy to control for a fun holiday pink
Wearing the Baby Cheeks with the Lip Suedes, textured tank from Frame
Super Loaded Tinted Highlights
I also wanted to add a quick look at her Super Loaded Tinted Highlights in a couple new shades. These are very dewy cream highlighters. They’re not quite as glossy as her Lit Up Sticks, but they still have an emollient texture and finish. I know some of you are DIE HARD fans of the dewy glow. If you are you will love these. For me I have mixed feelings. I love some of the shades and right now in cooler temperatures I can wear these, but most of the time they are too emollient for me in hot humid climates.
Peau de Sante isn’t new but still exclusive to her website. This is a stunning pink gold with the prettiest sheen. I think it’s much better than her Peau de Rose since it has some warmth to the shimmer.
Peau de Peony is also exclusive to Westman Atelier’s site. A number of you expressed interest in this and I am sorry it took me forever to post a review. Peau de Peony is a really beautiful cool pink shimmer. The color itself is really stunning but on my olive medium tan complexion it pulls a little too frosted with the contrast and finish of the product. I would 100% wear this if it were in powder format. I have wondered if the Gucci Glow Powder Gel Highlighter in Frosted Lilac would be similar, but I think the Westman Atelier has more visible pink in it. (I have the Gucci one on my Sephora wishlist.)
I think I can make it work with some layering of a powder on top to tone down the shine, but my overall impression is it’s a bit too cool-toned, a bit too shimmery, a little bit too contrasted for my skin tone right now, but I am going to keep playing with it.
Overall lots to love from Westman Atelier. I think she created some stunning sets this year. I thought her Miniature Brush Set was SO stunning with the new holiday colors but I haven’t really fallen in love with any of her full-sized brushes and decided to pass on the mini brushes: they looked a too small to be practical, the set didn’t come with a travel pouch or case to store the brushes (the box doesn’t look travel-friendly) and the price seemed too steep for me.
You can find the Westman Atelier sets out now. I know several of you have already ordered some, but if you’ve been on the fence I hope these swatches help!
Long time no see here! What a month it has been! I have been meaning to write a little life update here to check in and say hello, but things have been chaotic these past few weeks. As most of you know, I am located in St. Pete (the Tampa Bay area) and we just went through two back to back hurricanes. I have been more active on social to share updates on life but haven’t had a chance to share much here on the blog. If you want to see what I’ve been up to everything has been saved to my Instagram @beautylookbook October Life and NYC Highlights!
I’m back with a quick Chanel Beauty review! They launched their Holiday 2024 Collection and Part 1 of their Holiday Gift Sets. There are 6 sets online now with the beautiful soft fluffy zippered bags and this year they have 2 sizes of bags, the standard one we’ve seen for years and then a larger one (so fun!).
I picked up one set Maximum Brilliance Lipgloss Trio ($128) as the others I have my eye on aren’t launching until November 4th (I will pick those up on launch day).
This year the boxes are gold and white and the bags have the cutest snowflake detailing on the zipper. I am not sure about the packaging for online orders but if you purchase in store they also have two options for gift wrapping charms, I opted for the snowflake which is super cute.
These gift sets have full-sized items and usually don’t have a price break for buying the set, but they are beautifully packaged and while you can buy the products individually I really love that you know you’re getting full-sized high quality items.
Maximum Brilliance has three Rouge Coco Glosses in Icing (sheer milky white pink), Bourgeioise (classic mauve with shimmer) and Melted Honey (sheer gold shimmer). All three are super glossy with a thicker texture. They’re hydrating and have a beautiful shine.
Here’s a quick look at what’s online now, there are lots of other fragrance sets and bundles but these are the sets that come with the beautiful gift bags:
Two other sets I know are coming out include one with the UV essential and another one comes with the baume essential in the set. If you have your eye on any I recommend ordering soon or calling your local boutique as they tend to sell out very quickly!
Life update: Lots of things have happened the last month! We had two back-to-back hurricanes. I also took a weekend trip to NYC right before Hurricane Milton and came back just in time to help prepare our home for the hurricane and pack as much as we could to evacuate. In our eight years of living in Florida this is the first time we had mandatory evacuation orders for our neighborhood. Andrew booked us an Airbnb to Miami for a couple weeks since he knew even if the hurricane didn’t end up hitting Tampa directly, the size and strength was going to be destructive enough that it meant power would most likely be off for a couple weeks if not an entire month. With the grounds being so saturated with storms, a lot of the counties would also most likely shut off the water for a few days.
We packed what we could in our car along with the fur babies and drove to Miami Beach. With all the traffic it took us 8 hours to drive from Tampa to South Beach (it normally takes us 4 max). We made the best of our two week evacuation, did lots of exploring, ate to our heart’s content all the way through all our favorite spots, tried some new places and also celebrated 23 years together (we dated 7 years and have been married for 16). We checked the news daily for updates on our neighborhood and home. Our neighbors had also evacuated so they weren’t home either to report on our house. With the power out we couldn’t check on our home cameras to see if our house survived.
We drove home as soon as we received notice the power and water was back. So grateful our home is 100% ok inside and that we didn’t have any flooding or damage to the actual house. So many trees had broken branches or were blown over completely from the roots. Lots of homes had damage on the outside and inside – we were very lucky! Our backyard and fence needs a lot of work and repair but any damage is minimal and all things are fixable.
I hope to resume regular posting this week! I’ve had lots in the works for reviews and swatches. Also have a couple Sephora sale guides and holiday gift guides coming your way. I’ve been working behind the scenes while I’ve been away! Just haven’t had a chance to edit and put everything together to share with you.
Hope you are all well and that you had an ok October. Ours was chaotic for sure but we survived it and I am happy to be back!
