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The Top 13 Beauty Discoveries in 2013

December 31, 2013
The top 13 beauty discoveries of 2013 from The Beauty Look Book (reviews from the past year are linked for each item listed):
  1. Caudalie Divine Oil – my absolute favorite beauty discovery this year
  2. By Terry Baume de Rose – pure luxury for the lips, worth every penny
  3. Drybar The Chaser Shine Pomade – my holy grail hair product to add shine, remove frizz, long lasting and smells amazing, my husband also loves this for his hair
  4. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder – the perfect answer to glowing skin and my second favorite discovery this year
  5. Urban Decay Naked3 Palette – lovely rose-gold neutrals
  6. Chanel Taboo Le Vernis – a dramatic purple with red and silver shimmers, The Beauty Look Book’s second most popular post from 2013
  7. Dior Diablotine Le Vernis – the most striking intense coral red shimmer
  8. Tom Ford Illuminating Cheek Colors – unfortunately these were released in very limited quantities, but close alternatives you can get right now are MAC Magnetic Nude Skinfinishes in Magnetic Appeal and Fairly Precious
  9. Edward Bess Black Sea Mousse Foundations – I’ve mixed Light and Medium to get a good match, I’ve found that this is indeed the perfect full coverage foundation that gives a flawless airbrushed look that still manages to look natural, I truly hope Edward releases this to all his counters and in more shades (it was a QVC exclusive that sold out almost instantly)
  10. Chanel Les Beiges Powders – my favorite is 20 for all over, 30 and 40 work wonders for natural contouring and adding a soft glow of color to the face
  11. Diptyque 10-Piece Set – special release this holiday and the perfect way to try multiple scents at a more affordable price than buying the full sizes of each candle
  12. YSL Rouge Volupte Shines – my favorite lipsticks of the year for and The Beauty Look Book’s most popular post from 2013
  13. Chanel Illusion D’Ombre in Initiation – holiday 2013 release and the perfect bronze shimmer
I am thankful from the bottom of my heart for each and every one of my readers. You inspire me every week with your thoughtful and insightful comments/e-mails/tweets. I can’t express enough how appreciative I am for those of you who take the time to share your expertise and add your input to my weekly features. Your experiences, tips and tricks help others like myself figure out what works or how to make things work better. Thank you for following my blog and for your support.

What were your top beauty discoveries this year?

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Chanel Impulsion #93 Illusion D’Ombre | Spring 2014

December 29, 2013

The Chanel Spring collection has two new Illusion D’Ombres in Diapason #92 (purple) and Impusion #93 (pink). I picked up Impulsion #93 ($36 for 4g/0.14 oz, made in France) a pale silvery pink with intense sparkles. The silver sparkles resemble prisms in the sense that once applied, the sparkles reflect different colors as it catches the light. It makes the eyes sparkle as if it has extremely-fine micro glitters. It’s definitely one of the most sparkly shadows I own. I found the color to be long wearing without any fall out when applied with fingers. Using a brush can result in some sparkles falling on the cheeks.

Coverage is easy to control with layering. A light hand will give a nice sheer wash of sparkle with a hint of pale pink shimmer.

Close up of the silver sparkles:

Comparisons to a few other pinks and neutrals: MAC Vintage Selection Paint Pot, Armani Eyes to Kill #29 (review here), Bobbi Brown Cool Lilac, Armani Eyes to Kill #8 (review here), Dior Chimere (review here), Chanel Emerville (swatched here), Chanel Abstraction

I’ve been testing Impulsion #93 for a few days now and I love the color and the shimmer effect. I find the color to be quite unique with the texture and finish although you can get a similar effect with other shades. I’m not sure that I could wear this to work all over the lids since it’s quite shimmery. I think I could wear this with a light hand for everyday. It does make a lovely color to dab on top of your regular eyeshadow to add a bit of sparkle (think Tom Ford glitters but taken down 2-3 notches with the bling-factor). I give it a thumbs up. I passed on the purple shade since purples can make my eyes look tired. I may go back to the counter to revisit and test though.

Chanel Impulsion #93 is currently listed as a limited-edition shade, you can find it along with the rest of the Chanel Spring collection at counters now, online at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Saks and Chanel.com.
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Chanel Sonate #178 and Murmure #179 Glossimers | Spring 2014

December 25, 2013
The Chanel spring collection has two new glossimers in Sonate #178, a bright sheer red pink and Murmure #179, a lighter soft pink ($29.50 each). The two new spring shades seem like familiar colors with similarities to other previously released glossimers, but I really like both shades. They have a slightly richer pigment compared to other shades giving a healthy fresh glow.

Sonate #178 is a sheer muted red pink. It gives the lips a healthy tint of red mixed with pink and brightens the whole face. The color is layerable for more coverage but is still semi-transparent.

Murmure #179 is a light milky pink. It has a slight hint of warmth to prevent it from looking too bubblegum-like. I thought this would be a repeat of Sirop (discontinued), however Murmure is pinker and slightly darker.

Comparisons to Dior Diablotine (review here), Tom Ford Peach Absolut (swatched here), Burberry Mallow Pink (swatched here), Chanel Sirop (discontinued), Chanel Volupte, Chanel Calypso (discontinued) and Chanel Nakkar (discontinued, reviewed here).

I give both a huge thumbs up. Chanel spring is out on counters now. I purchased the spring collection items from Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus.

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Chanel Charivari #603 and Tapage #605 Le Vernis | Spring 2014

December 24, 2013

Chanel spring brings us two new Le Vernis shades in Charivari #603 and Tapage #605 ($27 each). Both are rich vibrant creams without any shimmer. If you didn’t like the dusty/muted effect of Paradoxal (swatched here) or Elixir (review here), you may find the colors from the spring collection will suit your taste better. They are sharp and rich in color.

Charivari #603 is a dark purple cream. It applied smoothly with two coats. I found it to be an exact dupe for Rescue Beauty Lounge Recherché (sold out). If you already own that shade you do not need both.

Comparisons to Rescue Beauty Lounge Recherche, JinSoon Debonair (swatched here), Chanel Paradoxal (here) and Dior Purple Mix (discontinued):

Tapage #605 is a rich bright red pink. This one was a bit difficult to photograph. It has an incredibly bright base. In all my photos it looks like a straight red. It’s actually a pink-red in real life. In the bottle I assumed it was a straight pink, but after comparing it to other pinks, I found this one to be more red. I like this color because it has the holiday new-year’s feel without being the traditional red or pink, it’s somewhere in between.

Comparisons to Chanel Rose Exhuberant, Lilis (swatch here), Fracas (swatch here), Elixir (swatch here) and Pulsion (swatch here).

The quality, coverage and pigment of both shades are excellent. The colors are safe classics and similar to many other rich pink-reds or purples, but I’m particularly smitten with Tapage. If you’re looking for something new and unique you may want to wait for other collections to arrive in the next month.

Chanel Charivari #603 and Tapage #605 Le Vernis both retail for $27 each. You should be able to find the collection at your counters now. I found mine at Nordstrom.

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Chanel Spring 2014 Collection and Picks (Preview)

December 24, 2013

Chanel is the first this year to release a spring collection. I spotted in stores at counters last week at Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. I was in a rush so I left with what I knew I wanted: Tapage Le Vernis, Charivari Le Vernis, Sonate Glossimer, Murmure Glossimer and Impulsion Illusion D’Ombre. I skipped the quad, duo, blushes and lipsticks. I might revisit the blushes but honestly I’m overloaded with cream blushes, I can probably skip the ones from spring.

There are snippets of reviews around other blogs, a few I’ve resources I’ve read lately:

Everything is online now at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Chanel.com. For your reference I put together a chart of all the new items.  

 I’ll have a review of the items I picked out soon. Have you checked out the Chanel spring collection yet? I’d love to hear your thoughts of the collection and our first look at spring beauty. Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday with loved ones.

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Chanel Émotion #87 Powder Blush

December 6, 2013

There’s a new blush from Chanel in the US (separate from the holiday collection) called Émotion #87 ($43 for 6 g/0.21 oz). It’s a pigmented satiny rose pink. The color is one of the darkest and most pigmented blushes I’ve seen from Chanel in quite some time. Émotion has a soft subtle shimmer to it in the pan but it applies with a very soft glow with a healthy flush. It’s the perfect pink to add color but doesn’t darken or look too bright on the skin.

It applies very smoothly on my skin. The color shows up quite well. It’s a bright color with a soft finish.

At first glance I thought it would be similar to Tom Ford Wicked. It’s a bit different – Chanel Émotion has a softer and more delicate finish while Tom Ford Wicked is a bit sharper in color. Below: Chanel Turbulent (discontinued), Tumulte, Rose Petale and Tom Ford Wicked (on backorder at Neimans).

I’m a huge fan of Chanel blushes. I love their soft texture and layerable colors. Émotion proves to be one of the darker more pigmented colors. I give it a huge thumbs up. I recommend checking Weekend Ramblings, Jayded Dreaming and Color Me Loud for additional swatches.

I purchased my Émotion #87 blush in store at Nordstrom, online at Nordstrom.com.

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Chanel Nuit Magique | Cosmic and Magic

December 4, 2013

Chanel just released their Nuit Magique shades in the US in Cosmic and Magic ($27 each, limited-edition at Macys.com and Chanel.com). I found mine in store at Macy’s this past weekend. Both shades apply smoothly and flawlessly with two coats. The colors are very similar to past releases, but are still a bit different. Scroll down for comparisons.

Cosmic is a black infused with silver sparkles. It’s very sheer on the first coat but smooths out perfectly with the second. The silver shimmer is nearly invisible on the nails. I can only see them in direct sunlight or with a high flash. Even though the sparkle doesn’t show up I do think it prevents the color from being too harsh or flat-looking.

For comparisons I pulled Steel (limited from 2010), Black Satin, Noir Ceramic (discontinued). Cosmic is like a cross between Black Satin and Noir Ceramic.

Magic is a dark blue cream with a hint of teal. It’s a lovely striking shade on the nails. Magic is very similar to the Blue Rebel that was released a few years ago but there is a noticeable difference (scroll down for swatches). Magic is shown with 2 coats.

Comparisons show Magic is slightly deeper and more teal compared to the Blue Rebel from a few years ago. Below: Blue Satin, Blue Rebel (no longer available), and Blue Boy (no longer for sale).

I love both and think they are both worth having even though there are similar shades in previous releases. If you want to avoid dupes you can skip these though. Do keep in mind they are limited-edition.
The Nuit Magique shades can be found at Macy’s and Macys.com as well as various Chanel Boutiques and Chanel.com.
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