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On My Radar / New in Beauty

September 26, 2016

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Hope you all had a great weekend! Just when I started to get in the fall state of mind the weather decided to take a turn after a week of clouds and rain. We had a bit of a heat wave over the weekend and this week’s forecast looks like it’s going to be hot all week. Even though it’s going to feel like summer this week, fall is in full swing with pumpkin-flavored drinks and treats everywhere I look. Holiday collections and sets are starting to trickle in and it’s not even October yet but it’s fun to see what’s coming out in the next few weeks.

First, Bobbi Brown has some lovely sets and gifts for holiday. This faux-patent leather Beauty Case (1) just popped up and it appears to be the same size as the black leather one I’ve had for years. Many of you asked me to let you know if I ever saw something similar from her line pop up. It appears this season there is! Bobbi Brown also has some beautiful cases that house multiple products. The Golden Eye Shadow and Mascara Palette (2) looks like it could be clutch-sized. As does this Glow to Go Duo (3).

I’ve been looking for a new leather jacket. Many of you were kind to recommend some for petite frames on Instagram. I’ve checked out some from All Saints, Joie and Club Monaco which are all gorgeous but I’m still trying to find the one. I have my eye on this Motorcycle Jacket (4) from Madewell which also comes recommended from a number of you. The search continues and I’ll let you know which one ends up working out 🙂

Chanel launched an online preview of their Collection Libre 2016. It’s scheduled to launch in stores late October. I’m not sure if this is their holiday collection or if a separate launch will follow. The only items that are calling my name are the nail polishes. There are two Le Vernis shades in Liquid Mirror and Hyperrose Glass (5) and one Velvet Nail Color in Pink Rubber (6).

Armani launched a travel size of their Crema Nuda Tinted Cream (7) in a smaller version with a pump. Thanks to the recommendation from another beauty lover, I decided to check it out and I’m glad I did. My local counter gave me a small sample to try at home and I have never been so impressed or blown away by a foundation before. I’m Shade #3 for reference.

Armani also launched a new lip treatment product called Him and Her Lip Care (8). There is one clear shade and four tinted options. I picked up three to test out and will let you know the verdict. It’s been a while since I ventured to the Armani counter and these caught my eye. If you’ve tried them already let me know what you think. The colors are very sheer.

Kevyn Aucoin and Space NK have an exclusive set called The Making Eyes Set (9). They kindly sent one for me to try and I’ll be reviewing it tomorrow. This is the first time I’ve tried Kevyn Aucoin powder shadows even though they have been widely raved about for like forever. Apparently I’ve been missing out for many years because the quality is excellent.

Jo Malone launched their Basil and Neroli Cologne (10). It’s a stunning green, basil, pepper mixed with floral and a bit of musk. I adore the Candle which I purchased and have been burning this past weekend. The perfume smells fresh, modern and very pretty. It’s on my wishlist.

Oribe finally launched a dry shampoo called the Gold Lust Dry Shampoo (11). I ordered the small travel size and it’s good. If you’re a dry shampoo lover I think you should try it. There is no white film or cast, it smells amazing and absorbs excess oil for a quick touch up.

Last but not least this year’s holiday Guerlain Météorites Perles de Légende Light-Revealing Pearls of Powder (12) looks stunning. I cannot resist. It was in my online shopping cart and I’m about to hit submit. They usually sell out every year fast so if you have this on your wishlist I suggest you act soon.

P.S. There are some individual GWPs up at Nordstrom (I think it was for Triple Points) and also at Saks Fifth Avenue (for beauty week) right now. I took advantage of a few including the Armani one from Saks and Jo Malone one from Nordstrom. Be sure to check for codes listed on each GWP option, sometimes there are codes you need to enter. 

Hope you have a great start to the week! Stay tuned for the Kevyn Aucoin review tomorrow and some more fragrance reviews in the following days. 
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Loving Right Now

Weekend Links and Loves

September 11, 2016

Happy Sunday lovelies! I hope you had a great weekend. I wanted to share a little sneak peek of what’s coming up on The Beauty Look Book and also a few loves. Four classics that never let me down include the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow Duo (review here), Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lustre in Ibiza Nights (on the lips here), NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint (swatched here) and Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes in Opale (swatched here). With so many new items launching weekly I rotate through items frequently, but these are items I find to be among my tried and true.

For this upcoming fall season I’ve been really excited about the fragrances that are launching. I was able to test and see all the scents Louis Vuitton launched in the Les Parfums line. I bought the Miniatures Set which has all 7 in 10 ml mini bottles. Unfortunately they are not sprays or else I would think they are absolutely perfect. I could not decide on one so this set was the best way for me to sample them all. I’m almost finished testing each one and will have a review soon.

The Maison Margiela Replica Filters in Glow and Blur were on my radar last month. I’ve been lusting over these for weeks now but after my last perfume mishap ordering sight unseen, I told myself to wait. In this case I could have ordered blind and been completely safe because I finally smelled both last week and it’s pure love. I will have a more detailed review soon, but both are perfume oil sprays designed to be a perfume primer to layer with their regular scent. The effect is lighter than a traditional perfume, but for me both are suitable to wear on it’s own. I’ll be testing and layering against the other Replica fragrances I own in the upcoming days. So far I have spritzed and worn them alone. I could pick one scent that I feel is really truly me in a bottle, it would be either one of these. Glow is a bit more citrusy while Blur is more like a cotton musk.

Tom Ford Lip Contour Duos launched in eight shades for the regular lineup and an AW16 shade that was featured on the runway last week. I’m working as fast as I can to have my picks up and swatched for you. First impressions on the AW16 shade is that it’s very light and pale. I feel as though the online stock photos are misleading because it looks like a wearable peachy nude but in real life it’s a pale pale nude. For me it has a similar in effect on my lips to the SS16 Lip Shine, so alone the liner/lipstick combo simply looks horrible. Like a concealer on the lips. I’ve heard it’s best to use with other colors as a layering kind of product. To test it out I just put NARS Vida Loca and Chelsea Girls on top as a test and the look was dramatically improved. I think layering can be fun but at $53 a pop I’m not sure I want a lip product to be high maintenance color-wise. The regular lineup is much easier to wear though.

Some link love:

  • NYFW has been in full swing and I’m living vicariously through others via Instagram and Snapchat and am seriously missing New York City right now. I find so many fashion bloggers inspirational and so so creative! Their looks and styling tips have so much more meaning to me than a magazine. A few favorites include @pamhetlinger, @andeelayne, @hellofashionblog, @extrapetite, @9to5chic and @brooklynblonde1.
  • MAC is launching a new lip formula called Liptensity on September 20th. Fall is always a huge season for new lipstick shades and formulas. I did a little sneak peek on Instastories @beautylookbook which was only up for 24 hours so by now the preview is gone but you can see a snapshot here. For now if you can’t wait to see my review, I recommend you check out Temptalia for swatches of all the colors.
  • One of my favorite bloggers Tamira Jarrel has been nominated for the Bloglovin’ Awards for Best Beauty Blog. I want to give her a shout out and hope you’ll support as well by voting for her! Link to the place to vote in her Instagram @tamirajarrel 🙂
  • I finally gave the Bite Beauty Multisticks a test at Sephora and bought two shades to try out (review soon). I found the swatches Karen did at Makeup and Beauty Blog super helpful because she swatched them all side by side.
Hope you enjoy the last bits of your weekend! Lots of posts coming up soon on the blog including the new No 5 L’Eau from Chanel, Le Teint Ultra Tenue Powder Foundation, swatches of all the lipsticks from Edward Bess, a look at the new Rouge Dior and thoughts on the Louboutin Loubi Nail Care Kit.
Any recent finds from the past week’s beauty events? Did you order anything new or stock up on some beauty loves from Space NK or Barney’s? In a moment of weakness I ordered the Chantecaille Faux Cils mascara. I hope I’m not disappointed. Don’t forget the Barneys Love Yourself Event ends today!
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On My Radar Roundup

On My Radar / New In Beauty

August 15, 2016

Hope everyone had a great weekend! There are a few new launches on my radar plus some promos I wanted to share with you. Fall beauty and fragrance launches are trickling in and this year it seems like there are a few mini launches in between the larger full color collections.

Tom Ford Lip Contour Duos (1) have launched online at Tom Ford. You can see swatches on Really Ree’s blog and I think all the colors look phenomenal! At $53 each though I’m going to do my best and wait for them to launch at Nordstrom or Neimans to see in person first. I am hoping they will arrive soon as the Orchid Collection finally popped up online at Neiman Marcus for pre-order. (I have 2 items to review soon.)

Christian Louboutin just added two new colors to The Noirs Nail Color Line (2) in Miss Mars (gunmetal) and Miziggoo (vamp brown), available at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Sephora and Christian Louboutin.
Marc Jacobs Beauty launched a new eyeshadow palette called Style Eye Con No. 20 (3) I ordered it last week and expect it to arrive today. Review as soon.
Maison Margiela added two new layering fragrances in mini-sized bottles called REPLICA Filter (4) in Glow and Blur. Right now they’re Sephora VIB/Rouge exclusives online and are expected to launch in September. I usually try before I buy when it comes to fragrance but given the fact that I’ve fallen in love with every one from the line I’ve tried, I may just make an exception. They are described as fragrance primers that you layer with scents from the regular collection.
More on the new fragrance launch, Elizabeth and James (5) added Nirvana Bourbon and Nirvana Rose. I’m surprised how many reviews there already are on Sephora considering these just launched. If you’ve tried these let me know what you think!
Just when I was ready to do a foundation and base routine post, new formulas popped up and many of you have asked me to review them. Chanel launched Le Teint Ultra Tenue in an Ultrawear Flawless Compact Foundation with SPF 15 (6) and liquid Ultrawear Flawelss Foundation (7). I have high hopes for both of these as I found the Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation from summer a huge disappointment.
NARS launched new shades of Audacious Lipstick (8) as part of their Chic Out Collection. Colors are currently exclusive to NARS online and boutiques starting today. Available at all counters starting September 1st.
Away Travel (9) has partnered with four other brands including Solid and Striped, Soludos, Serena and Lily and Ouai Haircare to upgrade your packing list. They’ve created a site for you to shop select travel items from each brand on packyourbag.co and offer free nationwide shipping. NYC customers can get the items delivered sameday via UberRUSH. This will be available until August 19th. They’re hosting some amazing giveaways (including a trip to Cuba) so be sure to check out their site Pack Your Bag and enter! As a huge fan of the Away carry-on luggage (reviewed here) I had to share.
Last but not least, Diptyque has added three items to their skincare line (10) including an Essential Face Cream, Nourishing Lip Balm and Infused Face Oil. My local boutique left me a message over the weekend about these so I’ll be checking them out soon. If you’re shopping online at Diptyque they have a promo code where you can get a set if Infused Facial Oil 4ml, Nourishing Cleansing Balm 5ml, and Infused Facial Water 15ml with any $150+ order using code FACECAREUS at checkout (valid while supplies last or until September 9th).
One last note since I just missed this – if you’re shopping online at Nordstrom there are a few sample gift with purchase bags with any $50 purchase but you need to add a promo code at checkout. I usually forget to check the gift with purchase page. Enter in PINK, ORANGE or BLUE – there are different options in each bag.
I’ll have one more post up this afternoon with a review so stay tuned!
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Uncategorized

On My Radar + Mini Blog Sale Announcement

June 9, 2016

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The week is flying by so quickly I can hardly believe it. Summer dress and sandal season is here – we’ve been having a full week of clouds with tiny bits of sun here and there in Southern California. I’m anxious for the sun to come out! I have a roundup of some new things on my radar, but first I wanted to share that I’m having a mini blog sale on some purses and shoes. It is for US only and you can see all the items listed on this blog sale page here. Instructions and details are on the page for pricing, shipping information, etc. I thought I’d give my US readers a chance to shop first before I send the items away to be consigned.
Some quick highlights on a few of the items shown above: first up on my radar are summer dresses. I bought this Tank Dress from Madewell a few weeks ago in the darker color and love it. When I find a style I like I’m always tempted to buy it in multiple colors. This Striped Vacances (1) dress just popped up online which looks right up my alley and possibly this Topshop version as well.

My husband liked the Tory Burch Miller Sandals on me so much he said “you should buy more colors.” I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say that before so of course I ran to Nordstrom and bought the Makeup pair (13) which is a blush nude and these Steve Madden Gladiator Sandals (2) also caught my eye. I could not resist so I picked up the black ones.
The Estée Edit team sent over some of their summer collection and the Cocobalms (3) come in the most unique balm packaging I think I’ve seen. They are in a circular packaging and the center is squishy to dispense product. There are five options – I have yet to test them but it’s on my to do list.

For summer NARS has two online/boutique exclusive palettes. The Long Hot Summer Eyeshadow Palette (10) has four shades exclusive to the palette along with Bellisima II and Bengali. For the cheeks there is a new 413 BLKR Cheek and Lip Palette (4).

There are a couple new items from Tatcha. The Skincare Travel Set (5) could not be more perfect. It has the best of Tatcha in travel sizes and comes in a gorgeous white case. I just ordered several travel sized items for my upcoming trip and wish I had bought this one instead. Also new from Tatcha is the Indigo Smoothing Black Sugar Gommage (12) which is limited-edition for summer. I was very lucky to get an early preview of this and it’s every bit as amazing as it sounds.

What’s on your radar right now? 

June Blog Sale items listed on this page here.
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On My Radar Sales

Five Things

April 26, 2016

I have a quick roundup of five things I wanted to share today including a few sales and promo codes. I’m working on a few posts on new launches that I can’t share quite yet but I’m really excited so stay tuned! A few things on my radar:
  1. MAC just launched extensions of their Pro Palettes in new sizes of compacts and inserts! For the compacts there is now a Pro-Palette Small (rectangular option) and Pro-Palette Medium (square). I picked up one of the medium sizes, a blush insert and eyeshadow insert and put in my own pans that I had from my current collection. This is perfect to carry on-the-go or for travel because you can now mix and match products and inserts. A full review to follow soon!
  2. For a limited time Benefit has a Personalized Hoola Bronzer option for $34 (available through the end of the month). It does cost a bit more than the regular Hoola Bronzer which is $29, but it can make a super cute gift. I was sent a personalized one from the Benefit team and think it’s pretty neat that my name is engraved on it!
  3. Urban Decay Lipsticks are all on sale at Sephora.com – the Matte Revolution, Sheer Revolution and regular Revolution Lipsticks are all marked down to $11. I’m not sure if this means they are discontinuing the formula or if they’re simply on sale. In case you had any of these on your radar – you can save 50% on these right now 🙂
  4. Tatcha is offering a deluxe travel size of the Pore Perfecting Sunscreen SPF 35 with any purchase of $100 or more on Tatcha.com with the code SPFMINI (through 4/28), it’s one of my favorite sunscreen formulas, so if you’re shopping online this week be sure to take advantage of the code before it expires.
  5. After I posted my Diptyque Favorites roundup, so many of you have asked me to keep you in the loop on Diptyque deals or promos that I know about. I’ll do my best to share when I find out anything, for right now:
    • You can still save $20 off orders of $100+ online at Space NK (US) with code BEAUTYLB16 through May 1st.
    • Two other codes that came through my in-box are from Diptyque (US online only at Diptyqueparis.com):
      • Code MOM with any $75+ order will provide a complimentary 35g Geranium Rosa Candle
      • Code SPRING with any $150+ order is good for a Choisya 35g candle + three 2ml Eau de Toilettes. Indulge in L’Ombe dans L’Eau, Florabellio and Do Son
Hope you find some of these helpful! Any good sales, deals or new launches on your radar this week? If yes please share in the comments 🙂

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Uncategorized

Wednesday Beauty Chat

February 17, 2016

Today I thought I’d do something a little different and have a little beauty chat with you. Kinda like one of my On My Radar or Loving Right Now posts, but I want to know what to hear about what you have on your radar these days! One of the best things about having this blog is being able to interact with so many different people, even if it’s sometimes only through e-mails, tweets or comments here. I discover so many new items from your recommendations, I can’t thank you ladies enough for recommending the Kate Somerville Dilo Oil it’s one of the most amazing facial oils I’ve ever tried in terms of adding hydration, smoothing the skin, and calming down flare ups. I’m in search for a new toner as I’ve used up my Kate Somerville Clarifying Treatment Toner and the SK-II Facial Treatment Lotion – if you can help recommend one for me, I’d really love to hear what works for you.

In yesterday’s post I reviewed three of the new Chanel Le Vernis colors in the new formula. Some of you have requested that I review some more shades so I’ll investigate this weekend and let you know if I end up picking up anymore. In case you had your heart set on the older shades, you might be in a panic that all the colors have been pulled from most sites and counters. At the time I’ve hit publish on this post, you can still find most of the older colors online at Saks Fifth Avenue. If you have your eye on any, I’d recommend ordering sooner than later.

There are soooooo many new product launches for lips. I’m working on editing swatches for the Chanel Rouge Coco Stylos, and each color is incredible. They are super creamy, very pigmented and feel ultra hydrating on the lips. It’s like if you took the Rouge Coco Shines and added a lot more pigment and creaminess. More thoughts on this in an upcoming post – each article takes hours of testing, photographing and editing but I promise I’ll get the article up as soon as I can (hoping to have everything finished and posted later this afternoon).

Bite Beauty just reformulated their lipsticks in a new product called Amuse Bouche. The colors just launched today online at Sephora as a VIB Rouge/VIB Exclusive. There are 34 shades, most of them are new, some are repromoted such as Fig and Pepper. Bite sent the colors for me to play with – I’ve played with a few so far and they are super opaque, creamy and last a long time. It’s going to take me a while to get through swatching and photographing all the colors. It’s times like these when I wish I had a clone, lol. The Amuse Bouche lipsticks will launch in stores in early March.

Yet another lipstick formula to lust over is the YSL Rouge Volupté Shine in Oil-In-Stick, currently exclusive to Nordstrom and YSL Beauty. I ordered some shades and they literally just arrived in the mail so I haven’t had a chance to swatch or play with them. Based on a quick google search the pigment and color payoff looks really good – not as opaque as the regular Rouge Voluptés but more pigmented than the Rouge Volupté Shines.
Last but not least, many of you have asked about the Natasha Denona Eyeshadows – they are going to launch online at Beautylish soon, I’d recommend signing up for Early Access so you will receive a notification as soon as it launches online (a few quick peeks in this post here).

I feel like my list of review items keeps growing – so many of you e-mail me and ask me on social media on a daily basis “when are you going to review (product x)????” Know that I’m working as fast as I can, but I’m a one-woman team (if you can call that a team haha) and there are only so many hours in each day. The only response I can give is “hopefully soon!” I’ve also picked up several photography projects which is keeping me busy but I’m excited about each new project I get 🙂

What’s on your beauty radar these days? With all the lip products launching, what are you most excited about? Anything you think for sure you’re skipping? Let me know what you’re loving these days!
P.S. The Glossier Coconut Balmdotcom is finally back in stock!!!

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On My Radar

On My Radar / New in Beauty

December 23, 2015

Is it too early for spring beauty yet? For those looking forward, there is a lot on the horizon for spring that focuses on fresh and glowing beauty. I’ve already spotted sneak peeks of new foundation releases from Chanel, Laura Mercier, YSL, Armani, NARS to name a few – all to be launching soon. For now, here’s a roundup of new beauty launches on my radar that you can purchase right now if you need instant gratification. I placed a large order a couple days ago for some Dior spring items and also picked up a few pieces from Chanel spring. I’ll be testing them in the next week and have swatches as soon as I can.
  1. Chanel Collection L.A. Sunrise for spring 2016 has started to trickle in stores and is now live on Chanel.com, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. It has a brighter feel than what I normally go for, but I love that everything is lively and colorful. What I picked up (reviews + swatches soon):
  2. Charlotte Tilbury Magic just launched the Magic Skin Trilogy with two new additions to her Magic Line. I’m a huge fan of her Magic Cream ($100) and couldn’t be more thrilled to see it available now in the Magic Night Cream ($145) and Magic Eye Rescue Cream ($60). I’ve been testing both of the new items for 3 days now, will have a report back after a few more days but I can say now that the Magic Night Cream is phenomenal – I wake up with glowing skin. (Also available in a Magic Skin Trilogy Set for $285.)
  3. YSL Spring Look just launched with a collection of pastels. I have my eye on the Glossy Stains ($36) in Tangerine Boho and Rose Folk along with the La Laque Couture Nail Polish ($27) in Love Pink.
  4. Bobbi Brown Extra Lip Tint ($33) launched a few weeks ago. I went to two counters to see if they had it in stock and both had sold out so I ordered it online. I’m excited to see how it compares to the ones from Clarins and Dior.
  5. Dior has a couple spring launches, one is a Lip Glow collection which features the Addict Lip Glow Color Reviver Lip Balm ($33) in Lilac. As a fan of the pink and coral, I’m really excited to see how this one wears.
  6. Dior Glowing Gardens for Spring has light and airy colors with powders ebossed with gorgeous floral designs. The Diorskin Nude Air Illuminating Powders ($58) in Glowing Pink and Glowing Nude look so pretty. There are two Eyeshadow Palettes in Blue Garden and Rose Garden ($63 each) but as one who rarely wears aqua or green eyeshadow, I will need to test before splurging.
  7. Tarte just launched their Chiseling Charmers Deluxe Contour Set ($24, online only). This looks promising.
  8. Glamglow’s latest is a peel-off mask called Gravitymud Firming Treatment ($69). I need this like yesterday.
  9. Henri Bendel Champagne Candle ($30), need I say more? My local store was sold out but had one burning in-store. It smells amazingly fresh.
My wishlist is already a mile long. I will need to do some sorting, thinking and prioritizing before splurging. What’s on your radar for the upcoming spring beauty season?
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