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Sephora November VIB 20% Off Sale Shopping Guide

November 7, 2013
The Sephora VIB 20% off sale is here from November 7th to the 11th! Instores and online for V.I.B.s only (online code is VIBTOPIA). I’m starting to look for gifts, stocking stuffers and small add-ons as the holidays are approaching. Here are a few gift ideas of what’s sparked my interest, also some staples I love that you might want to save on.
  
Gifts and Stocking Stuffers Under $30

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Splurges to Save On

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My Picks

For the sale I’m limiting my shopping card to a few items (plus two sets from above):

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For Him

For my husband, he loves the Tom Ford Noir and Jack Black Products. I know I’m getting him the Tom Ford Noir and Jack Black Turbo Wash. Contemplating the other items. Do you have any recommendations for him?
What’s on your shopping list? I’ll be playing around with my FF cart today. Trying to limit my purchases in anticipation for upcoming sales from other stores and brands as well. Are you splurging on anything for yourself or stocking up on any gifts? I’m all ears for your recommendations before I hit SUBMIT!
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Chanel Charming Ombres Matelassées | Holiday 2013

November 6, 2013

Chanel Charming Ombres Matelassées Eyeshadow Palette ($80 for 9g/0.32 oz, limited-edition) has finally arrived in stores. It’s a stunning soft delicate palette of neutrals – all shades are come in a lovely quilted pattern. The colors are soft powders but with decent pigment. Layered over a base the colors show up much better on my medium skin. The colors left to right include:
  • A soft delicate champagne ivory shimmer
  • A satiny fawn tan brown
  • A glimmering chocolate gold shimmer
  • A soft semi-satiny brown
  • A cool grey matte tinged with slight blue tones

Chanel Charming retails for $80. It’s limited-edition. My counters report they have received a very limited supply, but not to worry. It’s online at numerous locations. I bought mine online from Nordstrom. You can also find it online now at Neiman Marcus and Chanel.com.

The colors layer quite well together on the eyes. Each color in this palette is wearable enough to wear all five shades at once. I layer from left to right (light to dark). This palette is sometime I envision to be an everyday kind of palette. The middle gold shade gives it a slight holiday feel, although not quite as glitzy or glamourous as the beautiful Illusion d’Ombres in Fatal and Initiation. I suspect layering either shade on top of this powder palette would add a bit of glitz for the holiday.

Shown without flash, there’s a soft glowing quality from each color:

Close up of the shades, here in sunlight:

Here, under artificial light with flash:

The colors swatch very nicely on the skin and the eyes. Being the neutral lover that I am, I adore each shade in this palette. There is just no comparison with the finely milled satiny shimmers here.

In sunlight, no flash:

Comparing this to other Ombres Matalassées Palettes, Charming proves to be the safest neutral. Pearl River (limited from the spring 2013 Hong Kong collection) was a more edgy non-neutral. It’s been sitting in my drawer neglected and unused although I keep intending to use it (I keep getting distracted with Le Metier de Beaute kaleidoscopes and Edward Bess palettes). 51, Montaigne (also limited edition from 2012) is more yellowy and khaki-colored. Charming is the warmest, although still a neutral. Here are the palettes side by side for comparison.

Overall, Charming Ombres Matelassées will be one of my staple work-horse kind of palettes for everyday. It may be too neutral for some although I do love how the shades can be layered for a subtle warm smokey eye. If you’re looking for something different and unique, I’d suggest you opt for the holiday Illusion d’Ombres (reviewed here). This one is definitely must-have for me (although pricey).

Chanel Charming Ombres Matelassées is a limited-edition palette. It retails for $80. Online now at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Chanel.com.

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Diorific Vernis Minuit #995 | Holiday 2013

November 4, 2013
Dior’s holiday 2013 collection brings new nail lacquers in the special round packaging. Diorific Vernis Minuit #995 ($26 for 12 ml/0.40 fl oz, limited-edition) is a stunning vamp-plum mixed with red and gold shimmers. I thought this would be just another standard shimmery plum but Minuit really stands out with a beautiful rich glossy finish. The red and gold flecks are visible but the color is still dark enough to be vampy. In the sunlight this color glows.

Close up of the shimmers:

Swatched with two colors results in a slightly jelly finish. It has smooth coverage but is slightly transparent making the color look more red than plum. I prefer this with three coats for full coverage. The application was smooth and easy to apply.

In indirect sunlight the color is less red and more plum:
I pulled Dior Shadow #783 (discontinued, swatched here), Dior Liquorice #972 (discontinued), Dior Galaxie #992 (reviewed here), Chanel Taboo #583 (swatched here) to compare. Dior Minuit for holiday is closest to Liquorice but Minuit is darker and more dramatic. Compared to the others below you can see how the gold flecks in Minuit make it stand out compared to other shimmers.

One last swatch of Dior Minuit:

LOVE. If you’re thinking about this shade I suggest you buy soon. I’m 100% in love with it and think it’s worth every penny. Dior Holiday should be out at your counters now. You can find Minuit #995 online now at Nordstrom and Sephora.
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Inside My Makeup Bag

November 1, 2013

I find it amazing how much I can cram into a little makeup pouch. Stacking and layering can make a huge difference in making room inside. This week is what I’ve had in my makeup bag:

1. Chanel Eyemakeup Remover mini | 2. Caudalie Divine Oil mini size (featured here) | 3. Chanel Stylo Yeux in Espresso (a classic rich brown) | 4. L’Occitane Amande Hand Cream | 5. Guerlain Crazy Paris Terracotta Powder (review here) | 6. Diptyque L’Ombre Dans L’Eau Solid Perfume (review coming soon) | 7. MAC Viva Glam VI Lipglass (a staple)  | 8. Tom Ford Cheek Brush | 9. Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Stretch Mascara (my current favorite mascara) | 10. Jo Malone Vitamin E Lip Balm (review here) | 11. YSL Sheer Candy #12 | 12. Chanel Rouge Coco in Perle (lip swatch here) | 13. Tom Ford Nude Vanille Lipstick (swatched here) | 14. Chanel Le Jour Face Cream mini | 15. Aerin Mini Rose Hand and Body Cream

What’s been in your makeup bag this week?

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Tom Ford Shameless and Trophy Wife Nail Lacquers | Jasmin Rouge 2013 Colour Collection

October 31, 2013
Above left: Shameless, Above Right: Trophy Wife

This holiday Tom Ford has released a Jasmin Rouge 2013 Colour Collection (details here) along with various holiday sets that will be coming out over the next few weeks. There are two new nail lacquers with this collection in Shameless and Trophy Wife ($32 each, now at Nordstrom.com). Both are stunning classic colors. Being classics both Shameless and Trophy Wife are probably very similar to other reds and pinks from other lines. I haven’t had time to pull comparisons as these just arrived yesterday. I’ll pull some other shades this weekend.
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Shameless is a deep classic red cream. It has rich smooth coverage. The first coat is slightly transparent but still very opaque. The texture is medium-thin making it easy to apply smoothly. It also dries very quickly. I suspect this is very similar to Chanel Dragon and Pirate (more on this in a few days).

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Trophy Wife is a deep raspberry metallic shade with a hint of fuschia. This is a gorgeous shimmer but the shimmer is very very subtle. On the nails you can see a slight metallic sheen. Due to the red base most of the time it appears to be a red with blue tones. I love that it’s not your traditional metallic fuschia which can sometimes be a bit too bright. This one is brightening but in a classic way.

Here it looks more red if the shimmer doesn’t flash:

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More photos of each shade side by side:

I think both are absolute must-haves. The quality and pigment are really amazing (even if the colors can probably be duped). At this time I’m not sure if they are limited-edition or permanent colors. They should be arriving at Tom Ford Beauty counters very soon. Right now you can find them online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Harvey Nichols. (PS The two new lipsticks with the collection are Vampire Kiss and Rouge Fatal.)

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Rococo Nail Apparel Gothic Lolita

October 30, 2013

Rococo Nail Apparel Gothic Lolita ($16.50 for 14 ml/0.5 fl oz, Space NK Apothecary) is a metallic grey nail lacquer that has a bit of a blue undertone. It’s one of those slightly jelly finish colors but has excellent and pigment. I love that it’s a metallic that virtually brush-stroke free with very smooth coverage. Due to the sheerness it is a two-three coater, but it applies evenly and very easily. What I find unique about Gothic Lolita is that it has a slight hint of blue shimmer infused throughout making this your non-traditional metallic grey. It’s edgy but not over the top. The shimmer is very smooth (versus glitzy microglitter) so those who don’t like extreme shimmers may love this one.

With two coats:

Here it’s more gray if you don’t look at the shimmers directly:

View showing both the blue tinge and grey metallic parts:

I pulled a few colors to compare. I was hoping this would be a dupe for the long discontinued Dior NY57th (reviewed here), but Gothic Lolita is significantly lighter. Also shown below is Dior Silver Lake (also limited from 2011, reviewed here), Rescue Beauty Lounge An Accidental Interloper and Chanel Graphite.

I’ve been a fan of many Rococo Nail Apparel colors (my favorite is Re-Issue, a gorgeous deep raspberry). In the US the brand is limited to SpaceNK making it a bit hard to find. If you can try the brand in person I highly recommend doing so. SpaceNK has so many niche brands which makes it almost like a playground for grown ups.

A few iPhone snapshots of the SpaceNK Apothecary inside Bloomingdales South Coast Plaza:

You can find Rococo Gothic Lolita at Space NK Stores and inside various Bloomingdale locations, also online at us.spacenk.com. I give this color a huge thumbs up for price, application, packaging and color.

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Loving Right Now | Three Things

October 28, 2013
Three things I’m loving right now for the skin and hair La Nuit de Chanel, Caudalie Divine Oil (mini size) and Moroccanoil Treatment (mini size shown).

La Nuit de Chanel ($85 for 50 ml/1.7 fl oz) is currently exclusive to Nordstrom and Chanel.com in the US. It’s part of the Resynchronizing Skincare Line. I was thrilled that my local Nordstrom had samples when this collection was first released. I was able to test for a couple weeks to decide whether or not it would work for my skin. My favorite item in the collection is the La Nuit de Chanel night time cream. Per Chanel this contains:

 “Frankincense Extract calms skin to prepare for the process of overnight repair, while Hyaluronic Acid helps restore skin’s plumpness and hydration. Your complexion appears supple upon awakening, with no signs of dullness.”

I’ve been using this nightly for several months and have seen an improvement in the overall feel and texture. It has a lovely scent that isn’t overpowering and soothing. I have super sensitive skin and almost never wear any creams or serums during the night due to the fragrance. This one is subtle enough so it doesn’t bother me (and I’m extremely sensitive to fragranced face products). It does leave the skin well moisturized but not greasy.

Caudalie Huile Divine Oil ($9 for the small15 ml size spray at Sephora) was raved about my friend LJ. We had a girls day out this past weekend – being the skincare and fragrance aficionada she is we spent a good deal of time browsing the skincare lines at SpaceNK Bloomingdales and Sephora. She asked if I had tried the Caudalie Huile Divine Oil. When I said “no” she told me I was missing out and seriously needed this in my life. I debated between the Nuxe and Caudalie so she looked up the reviews on Makeupalley. Caudalie won me over with the reviews.
Her raves: it feels amazing on the skin, it’s not greasy, the spray feature made it easy to apply, and the fragrance is extremely pleasant without being too strong. Her biggest rave: it wears really well with any perfume. I bought the small $9 version to try it out. It was love at first spritz. It’s everything I’ve been looking for in a body oil – smooth, quick to absorb, moisturizing and most importantly the scent is pleasant, subtle and just like my friend said – it wears well with any perfume. (Most oils I’ve tested at the counters are just so unbearably strong). It’s well sealed at the top so it won’t leak. The spritzer at the top is pure genius. The size is perfect to put in your purse and the glass seems sturdy. I will be purchasing the full size soon.

Moroccanoil Treatment ($16.50 for 0.8 oz and $43 for 3.4 oz, at Nordstrom and various retailers) is a must-have for my thick unruly hair. I tried this at the Drybar in West Hollywood where the stylist mixed this with their Drybar Chaser Shine Pomade (another favorite, my husband loves this too). I’ve purchased both the small and large size, one for travel and one for home. It smells amazing. This helps to soften the hair and add shine without being too greasy looking. It wears very well throughout the day. My friends always think I have really healthy hair – it’s somewhat true, but I feel the Moroccanoil + Drybar Chaser combination is the secret to naturally shiny healthy looking ends. Just a tiny bit on the ends works miracles.

What are you loving right now? Do you have any favorite body or hair oils? Nuxe and Tatcha are next on my list to try. What are you loving right now in skincare?
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