Happy weekend everyone! New spring collections and launches are starting to trickle in. Spring seems to be filled with some lovely pinks and roses. A few things on my beauty radar, from top left clockwise:
Diptyque’s latest is the Rose and Ivy Collection. There is a new candle out called Rosafolia. Available now at online Diptyque and in Diptyque Boutiques. In addition there is a new scented oval and perfume released with the collection.
Hourglass Cosmetics has new Eyeshadow Palettes coming out this spring called Modernist Eyeshadow Palettes. Infinity is the first one released, available now at Barneys New York. I can’t wait to see this in person.
Dior Kingdom of Colors has two new Nail Lacquers in Glory and Lady for spring. There is also a really interesting Top Coat that looks like confetti.
YSL Volupté Tint-In-Oil is a lip tint suspended in oil. It comes in eight colors. I’ve read mixed reviews but I have three sitting in my shopping cart. I can’t decide whether or not to pull the trigger and buy without testing first.
Bite Beauty has a new Agave Lip Mask in Smashed which is a berry hue. I am putting this one to the test right now and hope to have a full review with swatches later next week.
The holidays are just around the corner and the next couple of months will be very busy ones. During the holiday season I find myself always gravitating towards warm gold and champagne shimmery shades. They are easy to coordinate with different outfits and makeup looks. I find warm golds and champagne also help brighten and warm up the complexion. Holiday beauty releases are starting to trickle in at Nordstrom and I’ve teamed up with them to share my some recent holiday beauty discoveries – all gold and champagne themed.
I have my picks split into different categories for lips, eyes, highlighters and nails:
For lips, there are a number of stunning shimmery gold and champagne glosses new this season. I like neutral golds for layering. They can bring a nude lipstick to life or when layered over a brighter pink, peach or red, soften the lips and give them a nice glow.
Dior Gold Rain is new from the Golden Shock collection which is a sheer but sparkling gold.
Burberry Nude Glow Lip Glow isn’t a new shade but I like to use this one year round. It’s a soft gold shimmer.
NARS Soleil d’Orient is a shimmering champagne that has a slight hint of pink. It’s pigmented enough to wear alone but also looks good over nude lipsticks.
Charlotte Tilbury Ibiza Nights is good for those who want more sparkle, it has the prettiest mix of shimmers but isn’t over the top.
Bobbi Brown Malt Shimmer Lipstick comes in a special-edition gold packaging this holiday which is fun. It’s a warm shimmery coppery shade with gold shimmer.
Golds are always in for me. They are neutral but easy to dress up. I like neutral gold eyes because they won’t overpower the face if you wear a bolder berry, pink or red lip.
Armani Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadows are a long-time favorite. I like these applied on the lids with a brush. The pigment is really incredible and easy to layer for more intensity. If you use a damp brush the color transforms into a more intense and more metallic look. Any variation of Armani gold looks good on most skintones, they create some of the prettiest universally flattering shades. My favorite Armani likes to wear Eyes to Kill 6 packed on the lids and combine it with soft peach cheeks and a nude lip, the look is really quite stunning.
Dior Versailles 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette is a beautiful palette of pale shimmers and one deeper chocolate shimmer. The middle gold shade has a bit of a chunky sparkle which is nice for subtle layering.
Laura Mercier Rosegold Caviar Stick Eye Color (mini) is another year-round classic. I like this as a base on the lids to help bring out the pigment in shadows. It’s also good as a highlighter. Sometimes on lazy days I’ll wear this on the lids and just finish with mascara for a no-fuss look.
Gold shimmers and highlighters are a must for me, especially during the holiday. The warmth of the gold ones can enhance the skin naturally and make the complexion look more alive.
Armani Fluid Sheer 10 is a nice neutral gold. I like this dabbed on top of the cheek bones (after powder, foundation and blush) with a foundation brush to add highlight. It’s also good as a cheek base to use underneath blush.
Bobbi Brown Bronze Glow Highlight Powder is a shimmering warm gold. It feels almost like it has a slight gel texture but it’s still a powder. The shimmer on this one is medium-to-high, but not frosty.
Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow is another good gold highlighter. I like this used all over the face as a primer to illuminate the skin or mixed in with foundation to give it a glow.
Gold and red seem to be the hit shades this holiday for nails. There are a number of different gold polishes, some with glittery effects, others more subtle. I’ve been playing with three over the weekend.
Dior Mirror is a sheer white gold shimmer in the special holiday packaging. It has a transparent quality with two coats, I prefer three with this one.
Guerlain Coque D’Or Night at the Opera is a neutral gold shimmer (this one is my favorite).
Bobbi Brown Scotch is an interesting warm copper sparkle. It has smooth even coverage with two coats but the color is primarily sparkle.
Left to right: Guerlain, Dior and Bobbi Brown
What are your favorite colors to wear during the holiday? Do you have any favorite gold or champagne makeup shades or do you prefer the more dramatic plums and reds?
Plum lips are always something I look forward to when we transition into fall each year. I find plum shades to be classic colors and look forward to each year’s new take on the shade. There are so many beautiful variations of plum ranging from soft neutrals to reddish plums to deep dramatic vamps. I’m a neutral lip lover so I feel like I can’t pull off dramatic colors easily. Also since I have a lot of pigment in my lips, plum colored lipsticks and lip glosses can often pull really red or extremely blue. Nordstrom Beauty has curated a selection of 30 shades on their Trending Now Section featuring dramatic colors for a Velvet Berry Lip. I’ve partnered with Nordstrom to share my favorite plum lip picks for neutral lip lovers (like myself).
When it comes to plums or dark dramatic lip colors in general I prefer sheerer lipsticks or lipgloss formulas. They are more forgiving on the lips when it comes to fading. The contrast between your natural lip and the lipstick can become obvious when the color starts to wear off. You can extend the wear with a lipliner blended over the lip to help the fading look less obvious. My favorites for plums include Chanel Nude (which isn’t really a true nude) and MAC Beurre Creamstick Liner.
My top picks for lip glosses include:
MAC Lovechild Lipglass is the prettiest mix of purple, gold and rose, on me it goes on purple, on others I’ve seen it pull more pink, it’s universally flattering in my mind and has been a long-time staple in my lip wardrobe
NARS Sixties Fan Lipgloss is a dark wine in the tube but goes on a sheer reddish plum, if you’re a no-shimmer kind of lip person this is a good option for you, it layers well over lipliners and matte lipsticks
Chantecaille Mulberry Luminous Lipgloss is new for fall, it is a deep wine infused with gold and red and plum shimmers, the coverage is medium to full, you can layer it for more pigment
Tom Ford Love Bruise Ultra Shine Lipgloss is a soft blue-toned plum, it has a semi-transparent finish but still shows a decent amount of color, there is shimmer in this but it’s subtle
Chanel Pagoda Glossimer has been a long time favorite, I’m so happy they didn’t discontinue this shade (many of my favorites have been discontinued), if want my recommendation on just one high-end plum lipgloss, this is my favorite
MAC Viva Glam VI Lipglass is another classic plum, this one has quite a bit of sparkle in the tube, it has a mix of rose and silver sparkles, but on the lips it’s not too sparkly, I’ve seen this on a number of different skin tones and it looks good on everyone
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My top picks for lipsticks include:
Burberry Blueberry Lip Mist is about as dark as I will go for lips, it’s a blue-based plum, but on my lips it pulls more red, your mileage may vary on the color, but I love how it looks so different on everyone I’ve seen it on, the Lip Mists have this unique lipstick/gel texture that glides on the lips and hugs them so the color really adheres well
Chantecaille Lotus Lipstick was featured in the fall collection and sold out in all the stores near me, I had to have the store locate it online to ship to me, if you can find it, I highly recommend it, the color has a glossy finish that looks very natural and has quite a bit of color
MAC Plumful Lustre Lipstick is a sheer blue-toned plum, it’s almost identical to Chantecaille Lotus on my lips in terms of color and coverage
Chanel Confident Rouge Coco Shine is a soft lighter plum, it’s one of the few light plums I’ve been able to find in a lipstick form, if you have darker skin tones or lips you might find this pulls more pinkish rather than plum
Guerlain Fabulous Rose is new from the Kiss Kiss Shaping Cream formula, there are a number of stunning plums and wines, this one has a lot of shimmer but it melds into the lips naturally so it doesn’t look frosty, for a plum I was torn between Fabulous Rose, Cherry Pink and Air Kiss and the artist recommended Fabulous Rose for a warmer plum that would still be natural
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For coordinating the rest of your beauty look, I recommend keeping the cheeks and eyes understated. Too much color can be overwhelming if you have a darker plum lip. My absolute favorite go-to blush is NARS Madly. It’s a soft beige peach pink color that adds warmth and color to the face that coordinates well with almost any lip color (not just plum, but also nudes, pinks and peaches). For the eyes to keep it simple I like NARS All About Eve and Kalahari Eyeshadow Duos which go well with plum lips and add subtle definition to the eyes. I like that you can layer the shades of Kalahari over the Himalia Dual Intensity Eye Shadows for more intensity. If I need more color I like adding a deep plum or brown along the upper lash lines for definition. I’m still on the hunt for a good plum eyeliner (one that has some shimmer and is really dark) but for now I like darker plum shadows applied with a small smudge brush like MAC Beauty Marked or NARS Subra.
If you’re one who prefers neutral lips but want to try something plum with more color, I hope my picks and swatches help give you some ideas on how to wear a more subdued plum. If you’re all about color, I highly recommend you check out Nordstrom’s Velvet Berry Lip selections.
Do you have a favorite berry or plum-colored lipstick or lipgloss?
I would love to hear what your beauty go-to’s are!
Many thanks to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post.
I hope everyone had a great week. I spent the last couple days in Los Angeles to visit with family, preview the new Hourglass store in Venice Beach and meet up with Edward Bess at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills. I’m a bit behind on reviews but am working all weekend editing and photographing for posts to be published this week. Right now I’m in love with (left to right):
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette is one of my holy grail powder highlighter palettes with three shades of their Ambient Lighting Powders in Dim Light, Incandescent Light (exclusive to palette) and Radiant Light, it is something I find perfect for travel and it works for both eyes and cheeks
Charlotte Tilbury Blondie Lip Lustre is the perfect soft pale pink that doesn’t wash out the complexion, lasts for hours and is also lovely as a layering color
NARS Himalia and Subra Dual Intensity Eyeshadows are my go-to shades when I want something easy to wear that goes with just about any color of lip/cheek or clothing (if you just get one, Himalia is a must-check-out)
Tatcha Travel-Sized Beauty is my latest obsession, their minis of Beauty Oil and Classic Rice Enzyme Powder Cleansers are what I bring with me on weekend getaways (the packaging of the travel sizes are just as good in design and quality as the full size, huge plus for me)
Guerlain Waterproof Mascara has been a must-have all summer for volumizing and holding the curl, I just bought my second tube of it
L’Artisan Mure et Musc is my favorite scent of the moment, I just purchased my second bottle after my last one accidentally broke (I knocked it off my desk and it shattered)
Edward Bess All Over Seduction is my holy grail cream highlighter, some asked me for a recommendation on a liquid/cream version that doesn’t interfere with foundation if you put it on top, this one is THE one to try (Sunlight shown above, but I also adore Afterglow the darker peachy bronze version)
Some weekend reads and videos I think are worth a look:
Three of my favs RaeViewer, Essie Button and Vivianna Does Makeup take us behind the scenes at Burberry’s S/S 2015 show (plus tutorials on the Burberry Beauty looks)
Temptalia has some dupes of Tom Ford’s Negligee lipstick
I discovered quite a few new favorites in August it was difficult to narrow down my list to under 20 items. My Sony NEX-6L/B
just broke right after photographed my monthly favorites along with some new items from Tom Ford Fall and Edward Bess. It will take 2-3 weeks for me to get it back after it goes to the repair center. As a blogger and photographer, I really should have more than one camera for times just like this. I called up my brother to ask for a camera recommendation. I wanted something that was super easy to use, easy to hold, affordable and compact. He said hands down buy something from the Canon G Series – after doing a few hours of research and watching several videos, I ordered a Canon PowerShot G16 as my second camera. I took my first photos with it for the Tom Ford Black Cherry post and am so impressed with the image quality and functions. Many of you have asked me for more info on my cameras, as soon as the Sony gets back from repair, I’ll do a post on both to compare. If you have any camera favorites I’d love to hear what you love. I hope to upgrade to an SLR by the end of the year.
Onto my favorites for the month of August:
Truffle Privacy Clutch in Blush has become a favorite for a classic, sleek and compact clutch. It’s super sturdy and extremely well made. Use code LABORDAY for free US shipping through Monday. (Review and more photos here.)
Clare Vivier Wallet Clutch is another new favorite, it’s the compact version (measures 8″ x 5″) of their regular Flat Clutch (measures 11.5″ x 7″) making it perfect as a change purse that will also hold a lipstick, business cards, and keys.
West Elm Acrylic Trays are a new discovery for me. I’ve been a huge fan of their Lacquer Trays (we have them all over the house). I’m thrilled West Elm made one that is high quality at an affordable price. Huge thumbs up (they come in the square and rectangle options).
Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black is a favorite darker scent. It will be perfect as we transition to fall and suitable to wear through winter. (Full review here.)
YSL Gris Deco has been the most commented-on polish I’ve worn all month. It was amazing how many people asked me “what nail polish are you wearing?” It has this unique mix of blue in it to make you wonder if it’s blue, grey or white. I love it for a super polished look that’s not too pale. (Swatches and review here.)
Diptyque Figuier is one of my favorite Diptyque scents. I never tire of it no matter what the season is. I’m particularly fond of it in fall/winter. It’s a warming soothing scent that completely lifts one’s mood. It’s super relaxing and lush. (Cleaning and recycle tutorial here, find the 411 on size optionshere.)
Tom Ford Eyeshadow Quad in Nude Dip sold out online within a few hours, I still haven’t seen it pop up on Nordstrom or Bloomingdales yet, there is a possibility some other retailers might re-stock. You will have to do a bit of calling around to locate one but it’s definitely worth the extra effort. I’d recommend calling Neiman Marcus Fashion Island or Beverly Hills to see if they have any left. (Review soon.)
Guerlain Cils D’Enfer Waterproof Mascara is something I’ve been obsessed with for a few months now. I discovered this one thanks to The RaeViewer’s channel (if she loves it, I usually end up loving it too). It really stays put, doesn’t smudge, has a deep lush black finish and doesn’t make the lashes look crunchy. (My review here.)
Garance Doré x Rifle Paper is one of the cutest collections I’ve seen for stationary. I love the chic designs, they have cards that are really fun. They make great gifts, I know my friends have loved the notepads and birthday cards.
L’Occitane Hand Cream Pouch has been selling out very quickly (it’s a steal!), I managed to buy three sets when they restocked a couple weeks ago, it looks like it just sold out again, but I recommend you keep checking, I expect they will restock again.
Clé de Peau Beauté Almond Concealer is an exact match for me. I’m thrilled they expanded their color options. I hope they do the same for foundations as well, I just tested a couple and fell head over heels with two of the formulas (my wallet is crying now). (Swatches here.)
Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow has been a staple duo this month. The line will launch in a few days in the US. (I’m so excited!) I am still photographing the two sets I ordered from the UK. Reviews will be posted as soon as possible.
Kat Von D Ink Liner has seriously made my life easier when it comes to liquid liner. (Review here.) You can’t beat the ease of use, color, pigment, and quality at an affordable price.
NARS Audacious Lipstick in Raquel is my new favorite nude pink. It’s literally everything I have ever wanted for that perfect nude pink lip color. I can’t always pull off nudes on the lips because they often look so pale. This one is absolutely perfect. It’s a good nude pink that doesn’t wash out the complexion. (Swatches here.)
Edward Bess has designed a new Ultra Slick Lipstick in Betty named for personal shopper Betty Halbreich, an emblem of style at Bergdorf Goodman since 1976
Urban Decay Naked Basics2 just launched today on Urbandecay.com (it will be available at other retailers later this fall)
Make Up For Ever launched their new Artist Shadows (over 200 shades), I quickly swatched a few in-store a couple days ago but didn’t have time to look in detail, the texture seems super soft and pigmented
Guerlain KissKiss Lipstick is a new formula that comes in over 20 shades, there are a number of stunning soft rose pinks, I have my eye on Fall in Rose, Baby Rose, and Golden Girl
MAC Prep + Prime Finishing Mist is supposed to be the regular Fix+ in upgraded packaging, I’ve been a huge fan of the regular Fix+, I hope the formula didn’t change too much (or at all really), if you’ve seen this, do you think it’s the same?
Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate is Shiseido’s latest for anti-aging and skin smoothing, it claims to give your skin the ultimate glow in just one week, I’ll have to investigate and see if I can find a small sample
Bobbi Brown has a new limited-edition Smoky Nudes Eye Shadow Palette, I’ve found these to be hit or miss in the past with formulas, the colors look stunning from stock photos
Bobbi Brown Sandstone Shimmerbrick is a repromote with the Smoky Nudes collection, it is one of my favorites of all the Shimmerbricks, if you missed out before I highly recommend you check this one out
Bobbi Brown has four new Creamy Matte Lip Colors in Nude, Warm Nude, Soft Nude and Pink Nude, all of these colors look like they are right up my alley, although I’m not a fan of matte lips, I might make an exception if the colors are naturally flattering
as my second camera. I took my first photos with it for the 
