I’m excited to share some of my skincare favorites from Kiehl’s today! I have used and loved so many things from Kiehl’s over the years. They have a lot of great everyday staples for a wide range of skin types and needs. (Andrew also uses a lot from the men’s line!) I’ve partnered with them to highlight some of my favorites. If you’re looking for some things to refresh your winter skincare routine, I hope you find this roundup helpful!
Ultra Facial Cream
The Ultra Facial Cream has been a go-to staple for a great everyday lightweight moisturizer. It’s one of their best sellers suitable for all skin types. It has a lightweight feel, absorbs nicely into the skin, and has a mix of Squalane and Glycerin to restore and retain moisture to the skin. I love that it’s smooth and balancing. A little goes a long way.
Cleanser
I have quite a few other things from Kiehl’s in my skincare routine. I tend to rotate skincare as the seasons change but I have several staples I use regularly. Their Ultra Facial Cleanser is a favorite of mine for it’s thick texture. It’s great to remove excess oil, dirt, makeup and even sunscreen. I love that it’s effective at cleansing but doesn’t strip the skin.
Toner
Kiehl’s has a lot of great toners too! One I’ve been loving lately is the Milk-Peel Gentle Exfoliating Toner. I like this one because it has salicylic acid and a mixture of other ingredients to gently resurface, soften and brighten skin.
Night Time
For night time treatments I love the Micro-Dose Anti-Aging Retinol Serum. It’s one of the few retinol products my skin can handle. It works well to keep my skin smooth and helps reduce wrinkles over time. The Micro-Dose technology allows for positive anti-aging results without harsh side effects.
Detox Mask
One last favorite I want to highlight is the Rare Earth Deep Pore Minimizing Cleansing Clay Mask. I love this to give the skin a detox cleanse once a week and this is one of my favorite masks to do just that. It helps reduce clogged pores and blackheads. I’ll use it as a spot treatment on trouble areas. Leave it on for around 10 minutes and rinse. Skin feels a lot smoother, tighter and pore size is reduced.
That wraps up my Top 5 Kiehl’s favorites in my routine right now! You can find all the items available online at Kiehl’s.
I’m wrapping up the year with a best of Skincare and Hair Care favorites roundup of 2021. This year has been a very sad one for us, if you follow me along on social you know we had to say goodbye to Lucy this past week. We are very grateful she made it through Christmas with us. She was a very happy dog and we feel so lucky to have had her in our life for 17 years. We have family in town for a couple of days to help distract us with their company. To all who lost a loved one this year, my heart goes out to you!
In my effort to end the year on a positive note, here is by Best of Skin Care and Hair Care for the year with my top picks in each category.
Hope you are ending the year on a good note! I’m hopeful for a better year next year. I have a lot to be grateful for with so many good things even though there were a lot of tough moments this year. Sending you all lots of love!
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! I cannot believe the entire month has flown by and at this time I wonder where the entire year went! To wrap up the end of the month I’m rounding up my Top 10 favorites for November.
Complexion Favorites
I’ve been loving my Armani Luminous Silk Foundation lately ($64, I wear Shade 6.5). It’s always been a favorite but I have found myself reaching for it more and more. I just used up another bottle and need to repurchase one. (Review here.)
Chantecaille re-launched their Perfect Blur Finishing Powder ($79) earlier this year in their Flower Power Collection. It was limited-edition in the flower embossed compact but they have it now in permanent form in the classic grey compact. I’ve been using the one I have but purchased a backup as it’s almost used up. I use Light/Medium. It looks light in the compact but has a transparent finish on the skin and blurs out pores and sets makeup beautifully.
Chanel’s Fluide Enlumineur Or Ivoire Highlighter ($48) has become a favorite. I mix it in with foundation for a beautiful glow. I rarely order backups these days of makeup but this one is listed as limited-edition and ordered another one. Review here.
Perfume Favorite
I have so many perfume favorites this time of year but one that stands out is the Mizensir Tres Chere ($260). This one is described as “a poetic love letter in a bottle” and I couldn’t agree more. It has a mix of orange blossom, bourbon vanilla and sandalwood. It’s a soft sweet scent which I love.
I was introduced to Mizensir earlier this year with a sampler of their perfumes and love the selection. The line was founded by master perfumer Alberto Morillas. He’s the genius behind many of the iconic scents such as Gucci Bloom, Acqua di Gio, Marc Jacobs Daisy to name a few. I love the little details in the line – their fragrances are unisex and designed to capture a mood. The warmer scents are enclosed in a gold-capped bottle while the fresher scents have a silver cap. The house symbol on each bottle features Alberto Morilla’s Jack Russell terriers which touches my heart.
Long-time readers know we used to have two Jack Russells (we still have one!). Jake (who passed away a couple years ago) and Lucy (who is 16 and slowing down, but still hanging in there).
The team has been kind enough to offer me a promo code for my readers. You can save 15% off your first order with code SABRINA15 (US site only). They also have sampler sets you can buy which I think is great.
I tried a few of them in the sampler form and love For Your Love and Luxury too.
Hand + Nail Care
For the nails my favorite has been the Hermes Nail Polish in Rouge H ($45). I ordered several shades but haven’t tried them all. At $45 each they are quite the splurge. A number of you have asked for a review and whether or not I think they’re worth $45. I’m really happy and pleased with the formula, color and wear time. I think they’re just as good as Chanel, Smith and Cult and OPI in terms of wear. Pigment for the colors I ordered is excellent. Two coats covers the nail perfectly. These have a wider tip brush for easy application. I don’t know that they’re worth $45 as I don’t think any nail color is. But I have no regrets! I ordered mine from Saks but the shade is currently sold out there. You can find it still at Hermes.com.
I will try to swatch/review the other shades too but for now here are some comparisons. At arm’s length the color Rouge H is very similar to other shades like Chanel Vamp, Rouge Noir etc.
The color you all have been loving the most though is Chanel Rouge Intemporel (from Holiday 2021, swatched here). It sold out at Chanel.com but I just saw it pop up at Saks Fifth Avenue here if you’ve been looking for it!
For top coat I’ve been really liking the Essie Speed Setter ($10). It’s a fast-dry top coat and does dry quickly and helps extend polish wear. A few things to note though. One is that you need to let your polish color dry completely first. It won’t speed up the dry time of your polish but it is a quick-dry formula for the top coat. Two is that there can be some shrinkage if you don’t cover your entire nail area.
For hand cream I’ve still been loving the Chanel La Crème Main ($50). I love all the formulas actually. I think it’s such a nice splurge.
Eye Makeup
For the eyes I’ve been loving the NARS Unwrapped Mini Eyeshadow Palette ($25) in Laguna (on the eyes here). It has all of my favorite tones and I love the mix of sparkles and mattes.
Lips
Top two lip favorites this month include the Chanel Rouge Coco Bloom in Dream (review here) and the Dior Lip Maximizer in Bronze. The Chanel Rouge Coco Bloom is a creamy swipe and go kind of formula. Dream is the best color (in my opinion)!
Also love the Dior Lip Maximizer in Bronze (reviewed here). It’s a sheer sparkly gold with a glossy finish.
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That wraps up my Top 10 this month! What were your favorites?
The Sephora Holiday Savings Event is back with early access for Rouge Members starting on 11/5. You can shop the Holiday Savings Event with code YAYHOLIDAY online (also available in stores). Code is multi-use and for Rouge Members you can bring in a friend to shop in store and they will also receive 20% off as long as they are a Beauty Insider. Access dates and savings per tier this year are as follows:
Rouge Members: Save 20% off purchase from 11/5 – 11/15
VIB Members: Save 15% off purchases from 11/9 – 11/15
Insider Tier: Save 10% 11/11 – 11/15
Sephora Collection items are 30% off. (Some exclusions and limits apply.) I’ll have a few roundups and reviews throughout the savings event. For today’s roundup I’ve included my Top 3 in every makeup category. (A few categories I couldn’t narrow it down to just 3, but I’ve still kept it edited.) If you’re looking for my recommendations of the best keep reading!
Foundation
Best Matte Foundations
Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Foundation – the best long-wear matte foundation that looks natural, doesn’t oxidize, smooths out skin and gives me airbrushed looking skin (I wear Buff)
Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation – medium buildable coverage, evens out imperfections, good shade range and various undertone options (does oxidize slightly, I wear 2.5N or 3N)
Best Satin Finish Foundation
Pat McGrath Sublime Perfection Foundation – best classic in between finish, not too dewy or matte, good coverage, good shade range, looks natural and makes skin look healthier (I wear 14 or 15, reviewed here)
Fenty Eaze Drops Blurring Skin Tint – nice lightweight tint but still offers decent coverage for a natural finish blurring tint (I wear Shade 10)
Westman Atelier Vital Skin Foundation Stick – a nice foundation stick, pricey but offers natural medium coverage, blends well and looks nice on the skin (I wear Shade VI, on the face here)
Best Sheer Tints
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer – a classic no-fuss dewy sheer tint to add a bit of color and tiny bit of coverage, for the no-makeup-makeup kind of person (I wear 3N1 or 3W1, on the face here)
I prefer creamy concealers so they are easier to blend and melt into the skin, favorites + my must-have setting powder:
Dior Forever Skin Correct Concealer – probably my favorite right now, makes me look more alive, brightens under the eye area and covers any red spots well (swatches here)
There are so many great highlighters, it was a challenge to narrow it down to just three, especially with the holiday launches, but if I had to just pick three:
Fenty Gloss Bomb and Fenty Gloss Bomb Cream tied – love love love so much, really like this year’s Glossy Posse (on the lips here)! Still adore Fussy and Fenty Glow (worn in this older post here)
That wraps up my best-of list! Stay tuned for another roundup coming tomorrow with a look at some of the best sets! To recap, the Sephora Holiday Savings Event access dates and savings per tier this year are as follows:
Rouge Members: Save 20% off purchase from 11/5 – 11/15
VIB Members: Save 15% off purchases from 11/9 – 11/15
Happy November 1st! It feels like the holiday season will be here in no time so I will have my holiday gift guide recommendations up soon! Rounding up my October favorites with a little bit of everything!
These Chanel Pantos Sunglasses had been on my radar ever since I visited the Chanel Beauty Boutique in Brickell, Miami. I finally splurged on them in late September and absolutely love them. They’re more on the plain side for Chanel but I think they’re a classic I will wear forever. You can find them online and in boutiques in the regular or polarized option.
Although I didn’t try this until the end of the month, the Sisley Phyto-Teint Nude Foundation is a new favorite for a sheer, lightweight, dewy base. Full review of 3W1 Warm Almond here.
For neutral nail polish, the one everyone keeps asking me “what color are you wearing?” is Gucci Anabelle Rose. It’s a polished neutral with smooth opaque coverage. Highly recommend it!
For skin, I’ve been loving the Eve Lom Cleansing Oil Capsules and Cleanser for months now. I find it essential to double cleanse and will use one of these as my first step and then follow with a regular gel or liquid cleanser. With all the ingredients in makeup that make it longer lasting I find that one cleanser just won’t remove everything properly (especially sunscreens!). The Eve Lom Cleansing Capsules come in biodegradable capsules, one is enough to cover the entire face. I love the Eve Lom Cleanser (you must use with a muslin cloth which comes with the cleanser, you can also buy extras) which really works to remove makeup well and hydrate the skin. It also helps with redness for me.
Other skincare loves include the Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream*. I tried the reformulated version recently and my skin loves it! Including a skincare video I did in partnership with them below.
Another tried and true love is the Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist*. The PR team kindly gifted another full size. I am never without this – I keep one on my night stand along with a few of their other mists. I’m really excited to try their newer Evening Mist!
The Kiehl’s Micro-Dose Retinol* has been a success for me! I’m one who cannot use most retinols but this one is gentle enough for me to use without any redness, irritation or peeling. Still since I have sensitive skin, I use this every other day.
Dior has some great everyday makeup staples and I wanted to do a blog roundup for those of you who still prefer detailed blog posts versus video or social media posts. I’ve done a few tutorial videos on my Instagram which I will include below for reference. Many thanks to each of you who took the time to leave a nice comment on the video or messaged me! I truly appreciate the support!
I love Dior for their beautiful limited-edition collections but today’s roundup focuses on staples that are part of their more permanent collection. I usually shop for Dior at Sephora because they have the Backstage Line or Dior.com because they often have great deluxe samples available with your purchase. I love getting those little samples of their La Privee fragrance line to try! Also the Dior website usually stocks the entire collection for limited-edition launches while it seems like other retailers don’t always have everything.
Base Favorites
There are two foundations I love from Dior. If you like medium to full coverage with a glow, the Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation ($52) is a nice one with SPF 35. I use either the Shade 2.5N or 3N. It has a natural radiant finish with good lasting power. I do find the color oxidizes and darkens slightly once it sets.
For a more fluid lightweight finish the BACKSTAGE Face & Body Foundation ($40) is a popular one you can use to blend out imperfections and uneven tones. It’s a sheer natural finish but has buildable coverage. It’s waterproof and sweat resistant. I love the BACKSTAGE Customizable Set that’s a Sephora.com exclusive. It’s the same price as the individual foundation but comes with a large mesh zip pouch and a mini primer.
Another product I love is the Dreamskin Fresh Perfect Cushion, but this is more of a skincare SPF product with a tint in one versus a foundation. I love the formula and wear but the shade range is horrendous. I love cushions but they still haven’t seemed to taken off in the US.
Concealer
The Dior Forever Skin Correct Concealer ($36) has been a cult classic for quite some time but I never tried it until recently. It 100% lives up to the hype and is now in my Top 3 formulas for multi-tasking. It’s creamy, opaque, easy to blend and makes me look more alive. I ordered quite a few shades since I wasn’t sure how it would perform color-wise. Shade 2.5N is my favorite for my skin tone but for brightening 2N or 2W work for me too.
If you try one thing from Dior I would recommend that you try the concealer.
The Backstage Powder is a pressed blurring powder with a sheer finish. It still has enough color that you need a good match. I picked one shade lighter than my usual tone because I found the colors run dark. (Also on the face in this Dior Lip Glow post here.)
The Forever Loose Cushion Powder is cased in a beautiful compact with a mesh cover and powder puff. This is a sheer matte finish powder that sets the makeup really nicely. I like that it’s matte but not overly matte. I would say the main downside is the price. It’s expensive for the amount of product you get.
I recently ordered a few beauty tools from Dior and really like the Dior Backstage Kabuki Brush 17 ($57). There are a lot of good retractable brushes out there so if you already have one I’d recommend sticking with what you have. I do like having a cover on some of my brushes as it makes it easier for touch ups on the go or for travel.
Cheeks
Dior blushes and bronzers have also gone through multiple reformulations and revamps over the years. I really love the blushes and wish there were more colors! Rouge Blush ($44) in Charnelle 459 is a really nice brownish neutral with a satin glow. Formula is soft, blendable and melts into the skin beautifully!
The Dior Backstage Rosy Glow Blush ($37) in 001 Pink is like the Lip Glow but for cheeks. Your mileage may vary depending on your skin tone but I like this for a really natural light pink flush. It does adjust on my skin a few minutes after application. It’s almost always sold out at Sephora, but still available at Dior.com.
For bronzer the Dior Forever Natural Bronze ($48) is one of the best matte bronzers I’ve tried. Looking at the pan it’s not 100% matte. I would call this a radiant matte. I use Shade 05 Warm Bronze but can also wear 03 Soft Bronze. It warms up the complexion in a natural way and I like the color tones. This is another example of a product where Dior.com has more shade options available than other retailers. If you’re ultra fair 01 Fair Bronze looks like one that won’t be too dark for you.
Eye Makeup
The 5 Couleurs Couture Eyeshadow Palettes ($62) are palettes I think I’ve tried in every re-formulation since the 2000s. This current formulation has the softest most finely milled texture out of all the Dior eyeshadows I’ve tried. They can be on the delicate side so I’d recommend being a little more careful with the palettes. Dior.com has the most color options available. To track down other shades you might have to do a bit of shopping around. Four I really like are New Look, Nude Dress, Mitzah and Poncho. They have a good mix of finishes with mattes, shimmers, satins and sparkles. Even the mattes have a luminous subtle glow.
Pigment is medium to full and buildable. The soft texture makes it easy to blend and layer.
For lips I love the Lip Maximizers ($35) for a nice plumping gloss that doesn’t have the sharp sting. Colors adjust on my lips with a subtle tint. I have quite a few shades but find I reach for 001 Pink, 012 Rosewood or 016 Shimmer Nude the most. I also really love Ultra Pink (limited-edition shade).
I still love the Lip Glows but already did a full review. In case you missed it you can see the review and swatches of the New Lip Glow Formula here.
For lipstick and lipliners I have to admit I find the color options a little overwhelming, especially when counters like Nordstrom, Sephora or Neimans don’t always have the full color range. I picked Nude Look 100 in the Rouge Dior Lipstick ($38) and Lip Contour Lip Liner ($31) and LOVE the color. For a liquid lip the Rouge Dior Forever Liquid Transfer-Proof Lipstick ($38) in Forever Nude 100 is a close match with a lightweight finish.
Wearing the lipstick below:
That wraps up my Dior favorites roundup! If you’ve watched my videos and wanted a blog roundup with more detail I hope you found this helpful! Many of you have mentioned it’s more helpful to see application in a video format so I’m linking the videos below for reference.
I love this time of year when we can bring out all kinds of cozy things for fall the season. It’s still quite warm here in Florida but the weather has noticeably started to shift. I’ve started to change our home scents to put us more in the mood for fall. Today I’ve put together a roundup of my favorite cozy fall candles from Nordstrom. I’ve included a few alternatives for diffusers and room sprays as well.
Diptyque Loves
Out of all the home fragrance brands I would say that Diptyque is my favorite. I still remember the first ones I splurged on and to this day my favorite is still Baies. It’s a classic blackcurrant and rose mix that is truly unique. I own this in multiple formats and sizes. The Standard Size 6.5 oz/190 g candle is a classic and has approximately 60 hours of burn time. For a splurge the 3-Wick 600 g comes in a black ceramic vessel and has 90 hours of burn time. The larger size has significantly stronger throw.
If you’re looking for a good gift set to treat yourself or gift as a hostess gift Best of Baies is a great one with a mini candle, mini room spray and scented oval.
Other scents I adore include Ambre which is a warm and creamy woody amber with vetiver, patchouli, aniseed, spices, incense, cistus and tonka bean. Santal is another favorite woody scent wand is probably my favorite sandalwood variation with a mix of velvety spices. Vanille is one of the best smoky vanillas I’ve tried.
The Diptyque room sprays are among the best ones I’ve tried. While they’re not as long lasting as a candle, I find they last longer in our home compared to other brands. I’ve splurged on a quite a few but the ones I like the most are Figuier and Baies.
Byredo
I also have so much love for Byredo. Their candles are really spendy but they have incredibly strong throw. Even their mini ones are quite potent. The ones I keep going back to are Tree House and Woods for fall. Both have a really unique woody vibe. Tree House is a complex scent with cedar, bamboo, sandalwood, guaiac wood and hay and spice, myrrh and labdanum. The first time I visited a Byredo store this was the scent they were burning inside and it was incredible. I splurged on the Room Spray and was really impressed.
Another favorite is Cotton Poplin which I think is more of a timeless home fragrance. It’s one of the most comforting fresh scents with a mix of chamomile, cedar and musk.
There are so many great options in candles. I also really like Burning Rose and Bibliotheque – both unique, smoky with a lot of depth. If you like the Bal D’Afrique Perfume you will really love Bibliotheque.
Le Labo
Le Labo is another great line I think is universally loved. The Santal 26 Candle is one of their classics. It’s a creamy warm mix of amber, cocoa, vanilla, cedar, musk and sandalwood. It’s quite potent and fills the entire home within minutes.
They have a few mini candle discovery sets which I love. I own the Candle Discovery Set Trio with Figue 15, Palo Santo 14 and Petit Grain 21 (Nordstrom Exclusive) and think it makes for a great gift. They just added a new Candle Discovery Set with Calone 17, Laurier 62 and Verveine 32. I’m super curious about these and have them on my list to smell next time I’m in store.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian
One of the most luxurious things I’ve been gifted was the Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Scented Candle. My bestie bought this for me last Christmas and I save it for special occasions. It smells just like the Eau de Parfum – mix of rich amber, floral notes, jasmine, saffron, cedarwood and ambergris. It has such an incredible throw.
Jo Malone
Last but not least is Jo Malone. They have so many timeless classics and I love their holiday editions. The one I love the most is the Lime Basil and Mandarin which is clean, unisex, unique, sharp. I tried the Lime Basil & Mandarin Scent Surround Diffuser and love it.
I know this is a long list but since I work from home I find them worth the splurge. We always have something burning in the home for any kind of mood. I love that Andrew also loves a good smelling home.
Out of all the scents that I’ve purchased and repurchased, I would say my Top 5 for fall:
You can find all of my favorites available at Nordstrom. Don’t forget to check out their Gift With Purchase page to take advantage of extra minis! If you’re part of the Nordy Club they have 2x points on beauty through October 31st! What are your favorite scents for fall? Do you like more woody spicy scents or do you go for something more floral? Or opt for the sweeter gourmand scents? Would love to hear about your favorites!
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Many thanks to Nordstrom for partnering to sponsor this post. As always all opinions are my own.
