Empty/used Diptyque candles as brush and pen holders (inspired by home decor ideas on Cupcakes and Cashmere and as seen on Jen Brill’s Top Shelf via Into The Gloss)
Small but beautiful gifts, such as the Chanel Camelia bookmark sent as a gift by the Nordstrom Seattle Chanel counter (thank you!)
Dior Bikini Nail Lacquer as the perfect spring-to-summer coral (swatched a few days ago)
OPI NYC Ballet Collection, such beautiful sheers that give a perfect polished look, I’m still hunting for 3 of the shades since my local Ulta was sold out (see swatches of all shades on Scrangie)
Sneak peek into Sterling Style’s bag (lovely blog and the PS1 zip pouch is so chic)
This is Glamorous compiles the prettiest home decor inspiration posts
And an update … some of you may have noticed my posting frequency has slowed over the past few months (since December actually). There are weeks when I feel like I have time to be a weekend-only blogger. I’ve been extremely busy with non-blog related projects this year. Each week has added more projects, conferences, and training requirements. I’ll be taking a short blog break to focus on work and life. Comments will be turned off shortly and I’ll have limited time to answer e-mails but will do my best. I hope to be back in a few weeks!
Chanel Rose Caché looks similar to OPI Tickle My France-y, do you know how close they are? They are very close on the nails. Chanel Rose Caché has more warmth and more pink while OPI Tickle My France-y has more grey tones. I don’t have a preference for either color, I think they are both lovely.
I can’t see full posts or photos in my Google Reader or subscription emails. Did you change your feed? Yes, I did. Like many other bloggers I have had my content stolen through my RSS feed to download into a number of spam blogs. Stolen content can be removed via Google forms and by sending out DMCA notices, but it is extremely time consuming and not always effective. Thanks to London Makeup Girl who wrote a helpful article to help prevent content being stolen through spam blogs. I have changed my feed to “short” to only include the first paragraph. I realize this may be an inconvenience for some of my readers, but it is heartbreaking to have my hard work stolen – especially when most of the photographs on this blog are my own (ie they are not stock/promo photos). At this time I do not generate any revenue from ads, affiliate links etc. and it bothers me when others try to benefit from my work to generate traffic/hits/revenue for themselves by stealing. I apologize for any inconvenience to readers who prefer the full feed but I will not be changing it back in the near future. Shortening my feed is one thing I can do to try and protect my content. I could change my format to restricted access but I feel that would be more of an inconvenience. Thank you for understanding.
If you were to only pick one, which would it be? Chanel Noir-Ivoire or Dior Couture Golds? If I didn’t have Endless Shine from last year then I would have just picked the Chanel. Both options are very different though – Chanel duos offer a simple polished refined look while Dior quints give more variety but are usually more shimmery and festive.
What’s the best new highlighter this holiday season? This year is the season of the uber-subtle glow. I would say tied between Edward Bess South of France and Giorgio Armani Madre Perla 1 for the new items this holiday season. Personally I prefer the more visible highlighters of past seasons a bit more but this season offers some lovely options.
There are so many new foundation options out there now. In your mind what is the best one? The right foundation for you will depend on your skintype. Mine is normal, sensitive, small pores. Right now, my top 2 favorites are Dolce & Gabbana’s Perfect Creamy Foundation and Powder Foundation (sorry Chanel, my long time favorites were discontinued, so I found a replacement). I cannot pick between the two. Both are fine on their own. The cream works just fine without any powder and the powder foundation works well by itself, but I prefer to layer them both. The finish is smooth with natural but full coverage.
What’s the best skincare out there? The right skincare will depend on a variety of things like skin-type, sensitivity issues, age among a number of other things. I’ve always felt less is more when it comes to skincare but as I age, my perceptions have changed. These days I use a mixture of Cle de Peau (gentle cleanser and eye cream), Koh Gen Do (masks, cleansing water, massage milk, gommage) Le Metier (peau vierge day cream and cleanser) and La Mer (toner). I would never tell anyone that this is the mixture of things to use – skincare is so personal, no two people are alike. What works for me most likely won’t work the same for you. Some people like gel cleansers, others like ones that foam up. My only advice is that finding the right skincare will take time: lots of research, trial and error, if samples are available then the testing will be easier.
What did you think of the Chanel Rouge Allure Velvets Collection? Will you be reviewing anything? I passed on all the Rouge Allure Velvet lipsticks. I’m not a fan of matte or semi-matte lips. I think it can be hard for me to pull off since I have full lips.
How do the top two shades in Le Métier de Beauté Le Cirque compare to the taupey shades in Splendid Frost/Come One, Come All? I find the shades from Le Cirque to be very different from Splendid Frost/Come One, Come All. Here they are below.
I did not make it to NYC this year for the LuckyFABB, FNO or NYFW (maybe next year). Instead I was in San Francisco and Napa busy being touristy. The highlights of last week were all food-related but the shopping options there were also phenomenal. My favorites were the Bouchon Bistro and Bakery in Yountville. If you have one of the bakeries near you (in Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, NY) you must try their macarons. So delicious!!!
On fashion and beauty related notes, this is what I’m loving this week:
Bobbi Brown has started her own blog, see a sneak peek of her holiday palette here
Law Fashionista shows us bits of Fashion’s Night Out in London
I’m one who carries way too much in my purse and packs way too much when I travel. Every now and then I receive emails asking for travel and packing tips. My response usually consists of an apology (for lack of advice) and ends with a referral to Café Makeup’s traveling in Paris post (which is brilliant). The Non-Blonde also recently wrote a lovely feature to show us what she put inside her makeup case (I thought her selections were beautifully edited & well chosen). I’ve been traveling this past week and thought I’d share what I brought with me to San Francisco all tucked into my Paul & Joe travel makeup case (yes, I over-packed).
Skincare:
Le Métier de Beauté Sample Packets of the new Revitalizing Anti-Aging Day Creme (one packet took me through an entire week and I brought 2 with me)
La Mer Travel Size Cleansing Gel (not photographed)
Lancome Travel Size Cleansing Water
Cotton Pads & Q-tips
Face:
Mini packets of Chanel Vitalumiere Aquas (not shown because they were tossed after use)
Chanel Powder Foundation in Tender Bisque
Cle de Peau Concealer in Beige
Edward Bess Daydream Bronzer
Edward Bess Afterglow Highlighter
Chanel Espiegle Blush
Chanel Beiges Highlighter
Hourglass Primer
Eyes:
Mini brushes (an assortment, yes way too many but I just grabbed a bunch and tossed them into my bag)
Two eyelash curlers from Chanel and Le Metier (because I did not realize I grabbed both)
Laura Mercier Platinum Metallic Eye Creme
Dior Summer 2011 Quints in Nude Tan and Rosy Tan
Mini Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara (not photographed)
An assortment of eyeliners from Le Métier de Beauté, D&G and Chanel
Lips:
Le Métier de Beauté Cannes Lipgloss
Chanel Aragonite Glossimer (Spring 2011)
Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Fetiche and Biarritz
Misc:
Mini L’Artisan travel vial with Jo Malone Earl Grey Cologne
Overall thoughts: Usually I overpack because I think of all the what-if type of scenarios. This time I overpacked because I didn’t plan ahead. Postponing the dreaded task of packing to the last minute caused me to pack way too many brushes and two eyelash curlers (many of which I did not need). I was rushed and at the last minute and grabbed a bunch of random things and threw them into my bag. If I were to go back in time and re-pack I would have limited the number of tools/brushes, highlighters and eyeliners I brought. The upside is that everything fit conveniently into the Paul & Joe makeup case (this was a gift with purchase long ago) which helped to limit the product I brought. Also there was not a single additional thing I wished I had brought – it appears I did not leave anything out. San Francisco is almost like a home away from home being packed with virtually every store, brand and item known to every major city. I could have not packed anything and been fine with all the options to choose from around Union Square.
Stay tuned for reviews on Jo Malone Wild Bluebell, Guerlain Les Noirs, Chanel Pink Cloud, Deborah Lippmann Glitter in the Air & Giorgio Armani Jacquard Eye Palette 2.
Sophy Robson tweeted a sneak peek of the new Le Vernis shades in Rose Caché, Rose Exubérant & Pirate
Glamour Russia has a gorgeous video via YouTube of the new smoky blue quad from Chanel’s Sophisticated Eye Collection, the video isn’t in English but the application is just beautiful! (I believe the one in the video is the Euro Version, see the US Version on Cafe Makeup)
