Set Archives - The Beauty Look Book

Charlotte Tilbury Quick ‘N’ Easy 5 Minute Makeup Sets

January 11, 2017

Charlotte Tilbury launched four beauty sets called the Quick N Easy 5 Minute Makeup Looks ($75 each). These are designed to be multi-tasking sets for the woman on-the-go who wants to enhance her natural beauty with a few simple products. I think these are great options for those who are new to the line and want a nice introduction to her brand. Charlotte Tilbury products are quite luxurious and on the pricey side so it can be a bit overwhelming to decide where to start. Before her line launched in the US I placed an order sight unseen from her UK site and it took me hours of research to pick a handful of items. I’ve been really impressed with almost everything I have tried from her brand with color, foundation and skincare (one of the only items I don’t love is her mascara because it smudges on me). I will say that if you already own a lot from her line you may want to take a close look at the content listings before splurging as these sets contain existing permanent items. Otherwise these are great!

There are four options to choose from. Breaking down the price points of the individual items in the set show that most of them give you a bit of a price break rather than buying the products separately. In addition most of them contain 1-2 miniatures which are great to try out without having to splurge on the full size. On the claim that these are “5 minute sets” I will say that on their own they are. I tested each one and was able to get a complete look with each set in 5 minutes. However the pre-work for me with skincare and base usually takes me around 5 minutes, so total get ready time for my face with these sets is 10 minutes or less. But just with the sets alone yes you can definitely get a complete look in 5 minutes or less as there are a few select products that are easy to apply on the go or when you’re in a rush.

Up first is the Daytime Chic Look which contains a mini Wonderglow (review here), Mini Legendary Lashes Mascara (review here), Classic Eyeliner in Audrey, and the Beach Stick in Formentera (reviewed here). This gave the most natural look for me. Formentera is a very dewy neutral rose brown color you can wear on the cheeks or lips. It’s emollient but not overly greasy. Finish is sheer but buildable to a sheer-to-medium finish. If you need color this may be too sheer for you.

Wonderglow is swatched heavily in all the swatches but when you apply it on the face it disappears into a very smooth sheer subtle glow. I like mixing it in with my foundation to add a bit of soft luminosity. I absolutely love that it has a yellow tint to make the skin look youthful and radiant versus the pink tints you see in most liquid luminizers.

Next is the Natural Glowing Look which contains a mini Wonderglow, mini Legendary Lashes Mascara, Matte Revolution Lipstick in Very Victoria (reviewed here and here), Beach Stick in Moon Beach (review here).

The Smokey Eye Evening Look has one of my favorite nude pink lipsticks Penelope Pink (also reviewed here and here). Other items in the set are a mini mascara, the Color Chameleon in Black Diamonds, Rock N Kohl Eye Liner in Bedroom Black.

Last but not least is the Red Carpet Party Look. It’s simple but sometimes all you need to dress up a look for a party or hot date is a good red lipstick and a tiny bit of liner. This one has a mini Wonderglow, Rock N Kohl Liner in Barbarella Brown, Lip Cheat Lipliner in Kiss N Tell, Matte Revolution in Red Carpet Red.

Being the Charlotte Tilbury fan that I am I already own virtually everything in the sets. I don’t need duplicates so I swatched what I had from my own stash and I’m giving away the 4 sets to one lucky reader! Giveaway is open to US and Canada only, entry details below at the bottom of the post. Here are all four sets on me. Foundation worn is the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation in 5 and 6 mixed together. Knit sweater pullover by Soft Joie.

One last look:

I think these are beautiful starter sets that make for a nice entry to the Charlotte Tilbury beauty line. Each set comes with a zipped pouch which is super cute. For me they aren’t must-haves since I already own virtually everything in these sets so I’m happy to give them away to 1 lucky winner. All you have to do is enter via the widget below. Note it’s open to US and Canada only and you must be 18 years or older to qualify. One winner will be selected at random via the widget on 1/19 and contacted by e-mail from me to receive 1 of each set featured in this post (so 4 sets total). Please refer to the terms and conditions in the widget for all the details.

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You can find the Charlotte Tilbury Quick N Easy sets online at Charlotte Tilbury as well as at all other Charlotte Tilbury retailers and counters. I do believe the sets are limited-edition but each item (except for the bags) are available to purchase individually in the permanent lineup.

Many thanks to the Charlotte Tilbury team for sending these sets for review consideration.

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Fragrance

Byredo La Sélection Parfum Set – Holiday Discovery Collection

December 26, 2015

For Christmas, I had the Byredo La Sélection Parfum Set ($145) on my wishlist so my husband ordered it for me as a gift this year. I’m one who adores exploring new perfumes and I’ve had so many from Byredo on my wishlist but it takes me forever to use up an entire bottle and I switch things up frequently so this little set is the perfect way for me to enjoy a lot all at once. This set comes with six fragrances all 12 ml/0.4 fl oz each (made in France). These are the same size vials as the Travel Spray Trios ($110), so I consider the set a value.

There have been other discovery sets launched from Byredo but I don’t believe they had spritzers. I adore perfume sets because they allow you to try a lot of different scents over time, but the downside of some is that they don’t come with a pump to spritz. I’m one who doesn’t like to dab – I find it gets messy. The set comes in a beautiful white box. The presentation is clean, crisp and just stunning in its simplicity.

There are six scents in this set. I’ve owned Black Saffron and Gypsy Water in the full size bottles before and the Bal D’Afrique in a rollerball version:

Blanche is like fresh clean linen floral to me. It’s a lightweight white floral that has a slight powdery feel. This one is hit or miss with the fragrance for me, sometimes it feels too powdery. I really like it in the Hand Cream and have been tempted by it in the roll-on oil version. Now that I have the spray it will give me some time to test.

Top notes: white rose, pink pepper, aldehyde. Middle notes: violet, neroli, peony. Base notes: blonde woods, sandalwood, musk.

La Tulipe is another fresh spring floral. It also has a very clean feel with noticeable freesia notes. It has a similar vibe to Blanche, but La Tulipe is more floral feeling.

Top notes: rhubarb, cyclamen, freesia. Middle notes: tulip. Base notes: blonde woods, vetiver.

Bal D’Afrique is amazing, it’s a sweet mix of musk, violet, amber, cedar and smells like it has a hint of peach. I have this in the roll on oil and have been spritzing this since I got the set. I like this one so much, I indulged in the Body Cream (review soon).

Top notes: bergamot, lemon, neroli, African marigold, bucchu. Middle notes: violet, jasmine petals, cyclamen. Base notes: black amber, musk, vetiver, Moroccan cedarwood.

Gypsy Water is one I had a few years ago. It’s the most amazing mix of sweet vanilla, berries and sandalwood. It gave me a horrible migrane if I didn’t spray it just right – I found I had to spritz it in a very fine mist. I’m going to give it another go – I’ve since acquired some sample minis from a few visits to the counter and tried them. They seemed to be ok, I’ll report back.

Top notes: bergamot, lemon, pepper, juniper berries. Middle notes: incense, pine needles, orris. Base notes: amber, vanilla, sandalwood.

Black Saffron is one I own in the full size. It’s my favorite berry fragrance. Review here.

Top notes: pomelo, saffron, juniper berry. Middle notes: black violet, accord cuir, cristal rose. Base notes: blonde woods, raspberry, vetiver.

Oud Immortel is the one I thought I tried at the counter and hated. I must have mixed it up with a different one because I just spritzed this one and it reminds me of Tom Ford Oud Wood and Jo Malone Oud and Bergamot, both of which I had and adored as unisex scents. My husband disagreed and said it was too masculine for me and decided to borrow it for himself instead lol. I asked a girl friend for her input and she agreed that they were both too masculine so I decided to acquiesce. I’ll have to wear this one more to see whether or not I can pull this one off, but it smells amazing.

Top notes: limoncello, incense, cardamom. Middle notes: patchouli, papyrus, Brazilian rosewood. Base notes: tobacco leaves, moss.

For size comparisons and reference, below the 12 ml vial next to the 7.5 ml Roll-On Oil and 50 ml Bottle:

Held in the hand – you can see the bottles give you a decent amount of product for a proper sampling (on the nails Burberry Military Red Nail Polish):

Comparisons to a few other minis:

Comptoir Sud Pacifique Rollerball

Byredo Roll-On Oil in Bal D’Afrique

Elizabeth and James Rollerball in Nirvana Black

Frederic Malle Refill/Travel Size in Carnal Flower

Jo Malone Mini Cologne (from the Cologne Gift Set)

L’Artisan Roller Ball

Bottom line, this set = love. I think it’s a great sampler set for those new to Byredo or anyone who has been wanting to try a bunch of scents but doesn’t want to spend the $145+ on the full size bottles just yet. I still have a long ways to go before finishing my Black Saffron, but after this set is used up I suspect I will be splurging on Bal D’Afrique.

Did you find any good perfume sampler sets this holiday? If so which ones? The Jo Malone Cologne Collection and Cologne Intense Sets are always great each year. I think it was awesome Diptyque launched one this year as well. I’m happy to see more lines offer these sets and hopefully next year more will incorporate the spritzer because I think it makes all the difference.

You can still find the Byredo Discovery Set at a few retailers, I do suspect it is limited-edition for holiday as their sets usually are. Online at Net-A-Porter, Barney’s New York and Lucky Scent.

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Ole Henriksen – The Works

May 12, 2014

Back in January of this year I was lucky to meet the Ole Henriksen team and discovered their products for the first time. I received some samples and fell in love with items from The Works Set ($48 boxed set) which includes five of their best selling items in mini trial-sized versions. I usually proceed with extreme caution before trying new skincare items. I have very sensitive skin that reacts easily to many skincare products. Reactions usually happen within minutes and take at least a week for my skin to calm down and return to its normal state. This set proved to be the perfect size and mix to sample five staple items to see if they really worked for me. I also found it priced at a reasonable range given the size of each item. More brands should follow with these trial/value/introductory sets – skincare can be costly and it takes time to try items to see if you really like them. I really like that it comes with easy to follow instructions and that the steps to use these items are very simple.

The Works Set contains:

1 African Red Tea Foaming Cleanser 1.5oz/45ml
1 Truth Serum Collagen Booster 0.5oz/15ml
1 Pure Truth Youth Activating Oil 0.5oz/15ml
1 Sheer Transformation 0.5oz/15ml
1 Lemon Strip Flash Peel .5oz/15ml

Easy to follow 5-step regimen:

My thoughts on each item below, individual products linked to Ole Henriksen for more information and ingredient references. For quick reference – I’ve been using these items and alternating with other skincare items, but all of these have lasted several months. I’ve already used up the Foaming Cleanser and Truth Serum from the set and repurchased.

African Red Tea Foaming Cleanser is creamy foaming face wash that is designed to melt away dirt and makeup without stripping skin. It has African Red Tea and essential fatty acids to nourish and soothe. I found this to be an effective cleanser without stripping the skin. It’s designed for both morning and evening use, I found that I liked to use this most in the evening (I like to use other creamy cleansers such as Dior or SK-II in the morning). It has a soft citrus scent and has a dispenser that foams the cleanser. My husband and I share skincare cleansers, he did not like this one, he felt it left a residue on his face even after rinsing. I on the other hand liked it enough to buy the full size for the home and another small trial sized version for travel.

Truth Serum Collagen Booster is one of the most-raved about products from Ole Henriksen. The reps mentioned it’s their number one seller and the most-returned to product that their customers keep repurchasing. I’ve always been very skeptical of serums and usually don’t like using them in conjunction with moisturizers because I feel like it results in too many layers of product on my face. The Truth Serum has completely changed my outlook on serums. It’s extremely lightweight and a lottle goes a very long way. I’ve been using one small pump and applying all over the face (after cleansing and toning). It has a thin clearish orange formula like a thin gel. You can feel it on the skin after application but layering moisturizer over it results in a weightless feel. What I liked about this the most was that it really brightened my skin and also helped my foundation last longer. It’s not really an oil control product but using this with the Sheer Transformation moisturizer worked wonders for me.

Pure Truth Youth Activating Oil is a Rose Hips Seed Oil that repairs and replenishes with essential fatty acids, vitamin A, and C for youthful radiance. It’s recommended for evening use to be layered over the Truth Serum to maximize brightening. This is the one product from the set that I have mixed feelings about. In trying a number of face oils, I’ve found there are only a couple that I have been able to stand the smell of. The Ole Henriksen oil is not one of them. It has a sharp citrus herbal cleansing smell which I’m not a fan of. It does fade a bit after application but I’m not a fan. The formula on the other hand is very hydrating and does calm the skin. I found it a bit heavy to use every night but in general I feel most face oils are too heavy for my preference. It does absorb into the skin after 15 minutes or so and I can’t feel it on my face unless I touch it. When used at night I find I wake up with refreshed hydrated skin with a more brightened complexion. I really just need to get over the scent because it makes the skin feel extremely soft and supple.

Sheer Transformation is one of my new favorite moisturizers. It’s a lightweight cream moisturizer infused with Actiwhite™, licorice and botanical AHA’s to help fade dark spots and soften skin. Vitamin C Stimulates collagen production, fruit acids retexturizes and soothes lines and sandalwood, geranium, licorice and chamomile soothes, replenishes, balances and purifies the skin. My skin has gone through several freak-outs this year after two really bad colds (the first one lasted a couple months). I’ve had some break outs on the face that resulted in some acne scars. This cream combined with some other items has really helped bring my skin back to its normal state. There’s no detectable scent and I like the way it moisturizes the skin without feeling heavy. Huge thumbs up.

Lemon Strip Flash Peel is a powerful peel with a 20% AHA complex of glycolic, lactic & fruit acids to accelerate cell turnover and resurface for luminous, smooth skin in a flash. This one made me a bit nervous to try since I was told it is a resurfacing product. Any skincare product with the word “peel” makes me nervous in general especially with my super sensitive skin. I gave this a try and found that it was gentle enough to not cause a huge reaction for my skin. It helped to improve the surface of my skin tremendously. If you have a lot of healing acne, raw peeling skin or any open wounds I would proceed with caution on using this (it will sting if you use it on any picked-at skin areas), but you don’t have to apply it all over the face. I found that it tingled a little but did not sting.

After months of testing these items I’ve been very pleased. My top two picks are the Truth Serum and Sheer Transformation cream. You can find The Works Set at Ole Henriksen for $48 or find each item individually. I really like that they have a wide range of small-sized items available for travel or to try out. For more on the brand be sure to follow Ole Henriksen on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and their Blog.

What are your favorite Ole Henriksen products? If you have anything you’ve been using for a while or just discovered I’d love to hear your recommendations for what to try next.

I’ve fallen in love with this set so much that I’m going to giveaway two of them (many thanks to Ole Henriksen for providing two giveaway sets for The Beauty Look Book). Two individuals will be selected to win one set each.

To qualify you must use the Rafflecopter widget below, be a US resident (due to shipping restrictions on liquids), 18 years or older and like The Beauty Look Book on Facebook or follow me on Twitter. Giveaway entries begin today on May 12, 2014 and ends May 22, 2014 at 12:00 AM PST. Winners will be contacted by e-mail or Twitter by The Beauty Look Book within three days after the giveaway entries end. See terms in conditions in the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post contains items received in a sample from Ole Henriksen along with items repurchased by The Beauty Look Book. All opinions are my own. Two sets were also provided by Ole Henriksen for The Beauty Look Book giveaway for US residents.

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Tatcha Okasan Mother’s Day Gift Set

May 5, 2014

Tatcha has designed a special Okasan Mother’s Day Gift Set ($135) this year containing a full-sized Gold Camellia Moisturizing Lip Balm, Gold Camellia Beauty Oil, and one sheet of their Luminous Deep Hydration Lifting Mask and a small box of Japanese candy from Kyoto. It comes in a beautifully packaged white box and indigo/gold wrapping paper. As usual, everything from the contents, design, personal note are true to Tatcha form – exquisitely packaged with no detail missed.

My mom fell in love with beautiful design and packaging of the Gold Camellia Lip Balm when I purchased it back in January. Although Tatcha kindly sent this set to me for review, I thought it fitting to gift this set to my mother as an introduction to the brand since I have already tried 2 of the 4 items in the set. As a quick intro, I’m in my early 30’s with normal but sensitive skin prone to occasional break outs. My mother is in her mid 50’s and has normal but flawless skin. She describes her skin as normal but oily in the T-zone. I’m fortunate to live only 10 minutes away from my mom so we spent a few days playing with this set on a few occasions. Our thoughts below (we both loved the Japanese candy).

Deep Hydration Lifting Mask
comes in individually at $28 each or a set of 4 for $95. I’m really happy this came in the set for my mom to try. I received a sample several months ago with an online order (Tatcha has really good samples with online orders) and it’s an amazing sheet mask. It comes with two mesh linings on each side that you remove and then leave on the face for at least 15 minutes. It has a cooling sensation that hydrates and makes the skin feel like you just had a spa facial.

My thoughts: This is a spa in a packet, my face is left feeling fully refreshed and hydrated.
My mom’s thoughts: It has a nice soothing light scent, it has a slightly tingly feeling, my face does feel nicely hydrated after use.

Camellia Nourishing Lip Balm is an exquisitely packaged lip treatment with gold leaf.

My thoughts: You can read my review here, it has a nice soft sweet scent.
My mom’s thoughts: It’s too pretty to use, I don’t want to ruin the gold leaf but I like that it feels lightweight and non-stick on the lips.

Camellia Beauty Oil
is one of those oils reaching cult-status. It’s a light and rich beauty oil designed for the face, hair and body. It has Licorice Extract to calm the skin, lightly scented with young Bamboo and Green Tea fragrances. We both adore this oil.

My thoughts: This was my first time trying the Tatcha Beauty Oil, I was pleasantly surprised that everything my readers have been telling me about this one is true. It has a sweet fruity scent upon first application but the scent and oil both absorb quickly into the skin. I love the light feeling moisturizing feel and it leaves the face feeling hydrated – perfect for summer.
My mom’s thoughts: This is a really nice oil and makes the skin feel like the hydration has been restored. I like that it’s really lightweight and absorbs into the skin, it’s perfect for the warm weather.

____________________

This set is hands-down winner in both our books. (I have the face mask replenishments and camellia oil on order for myself already.) If you want to order this set, you can find it now online at Tatcha.com. Individual items are also available for purchase via Tatcha.com and Barneys New York. Be sure to follow Tatcha on Facebook – they have a fun interactive contest/giveaway for the Mother’s Day Set.

Have you tried Tatcha yet? What are your favorites so far?

This post contains items sent courtesy of Tatcha for review. All opinions are our own. For more information refer to my Disclosure Policy.

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Caudalie Favorites Set – Travel/Trial Sized Beauty

April 18, 2014

I discovered the Caudalie Favorites Set ($32 for five items in a travel bag) when I attended the Venice Boutique Opening last month. One thing I love about Caudalie is they carry smaller sized items that are perfect for travel or those who want to try something out before committing to a full size product. The travel-sized beauty items are all decently priced, this 2014 Favorites Set is a $57 value, but priced at $32. This year’s favorites set comes with the following:

Lip Conditioner – 4.5 ml
Hand and Nail Cream – 30 ml
Vinosource Sorbet – 10 ml
Cleansing Water – 50 ml
Beauty Elixir – 30 ml

I have already been using the Cleansing Water for quite some time now but never tried the other items. I’ve been testing for about a month now and have been pleasantly surprised and impressed with Caudalie’s skincare line. My thoughts on each item below (you can refer to Caudalie website for the ingredient list).

Cleansing Water is a gentle but effective cleansing water. It’s good for removing face makeup but isn’t strong enough for long-wear eye makeup like mascara or eyeliner. My cleansing process usually involves multiple steps. To make sure I remove all my makeup at the end of the day, I usually remove makeup with cotton pad (I like Shiseido and Chanel) soaked with a cleansing water. Caudalie is among my favorites because it’s soothing, calming and refreshing. It is lightly fragranced with orange and lemon blossom, watermelon, and mint leaves – but it’s not overpowering. What I like about this one is it hydrates the skin while cleaning it, but it doesn’t leave a film on the skin after application. (Ingredients here.)

Beauty Elixir is one of those products that has reached cult-status. It’s a mix of toner/serum mist with essential oils and plant active ingredients. I spritz this on the face when I want added hydration or a refresher. It’s a bit dewy for me but in a good way. I do think those sensitive to fragrance or those with oily skin will want to pass on this one. It’s not overpowering but the scent is on the stronger side with mint and herbal scents. I recommend testing in store if you’re unsure about face sprays in general. (I’m testing a few other face sprays right now and will do another post on them in a few weeks.) I personally like this one for a quick pick-me-up and even though I’m sensitive to fragranced skincare items this one is subtle enough for me to use without irritation or breakouts. (Ingredients here.)

Hand and Nail Cream has had mixed reviews. Many have commented that it has been reformulated recently (check the reviews on Sephora). It’s described as a concentrated hand cream with antioxidant grape
polyphenols and reparative organic fair trade shea butter, this Hand
and Nail Cream leaves skin soft and nourished. I never tried the older version so I can’t compare the two, but this version absorbs quickly into the hands. I tend to prefer hand creams that dry down so they don’t leave everything feeling too moisturized/greasy. While I was a the Venice boutique one of the reps mixed in their Divine Oil with the hand and nail cream to add more moisture. I know many of you have been asking me for a post on my hand and nail care, I’ve been working on a post and hope to have it published soon. I’ve added the Caudalie Hand and Nail cream to my favorites list. It smells like grapes and gives the hands a smoother look. If you have super dry hands you might find this not moisturizing enough. (Ingredients here.)

Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet is yet another cult-status product. I’m always really hesitant to try new skincare items because I have sensitive skin. Many have described this is as a light airy fluffy cream which I find to be the best description. It’s a very lightweight moisturizer that helped calm down my skin. It’s designed for sensitive skin and after testing this for a month I’m almost finished with the small trial size. I can’t say it has improved my skin, but then it hasn’t made it worse and I have had no reactions to this. I’m undecided whether or not to purchase the full size. I like that it’s lightweight and fragrance is light (for me). (Ingredients here.)

Lip Conditioner has a similar feel and scent to that of Fresh Sugar Lip balms but the Caudalie feels better on my lips and it’s not quite as heavily fragranced. Reviews have also indicated this has been reformulated but this is my first time trying it so I can’t compare. I’m not a huge fan of the plastic packaging but it’s proven to be more sturdy than it looks. The formula is very nice. It moisturizes my sensitive lips and fixes any peeling problems that I get with some lipsticks (ie MAC). It has a smooth emollient feel that isn’t quite as thick as my other favorites (Jo Malone, Hourglass, By Terry). Huge thumbs up for this one. (Ingredients here.)

I purchased my Favorites Set from the Venice Boutique. It’s also available online at Sephora and online at Caudalie (free shipping on their site with $50+ orders, also a gift with code C15gift through April 21st or while supplies last). Most items are also available in travel sizes individually.

Have you tried Caudalie’s Favorites Set? Or anything else from the line? Please share what your
experiences have been. One of my goals this year is to learn more about skincare items. Have you noticed any changes with the formulas?

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Trish McEvoy Delicate Beauty Voyager Collection

October 24, 2011

In August, Trish McEvoy launched her newest Little Black Card called Delicate Beauty in her Voyager Collection Kit ($85). This is the cutest mini makeup kit I think I’ve ever seen filled with the easy-to-wear colors and mini brushes perfect for those emergency touch-up situations. It’s the perfect little case to throw in even the smallest of purses. Even though I’m not a fan of palettes that mix creams and powders on the same layer (the powder debris tends to get the cream products messy), this was just too cute to pass up.

Size-wise, it’s about the same size as my computer mouse. It’s smaller than my Goyard coin purse and I’ve photographed a mini Chanel sample perfume next to it to show the scale. The colors and descriptions are listed below.

Top Tier:
Eye Shadow Soft Peach – a soft matte pale peach-beige with tiny gold flecks
Eye Shadow Delicate Pink (new) – a soft sheer cool pink
Eye Shadow Fig (new) – matte bark color
Eye Shadow Thunder (new) – satin grey
Glaze Eye Shadow White Peach – frosted medium champagne
Glaze Eye Shadow Romance – frosted pale white-pink
Eye Definer Deep Plum – a deep iridescent plum
Eye Definer Starry Night (new) – a deep navy shimmer

Bottom Tier:
Matte Bronzer Medium – neutral sheer warm bronzer (no shimmer)
Blush Glow – shimmery coral golden glow
Classic Lip Color Vibrant Coral – bright coral-red cream
Beauty Booster Lip Gloss Sexy Petal – sheer sparkly pale pink
Brightening Line Minimizing Concealer Medium

Brushes include:
Brush 48 Blending
Dual Ended Brush 19/42 Laydown and Contour
Dual Ended Brush 11/41A Precise Eye Lining/Smudge
Covered Lip

Overall thoughts: This kit is convenient and totally squeal-worthy because of the cuteness. The colors in this kit are definitely what I would classify as classic no-fail colors. I do feel they are a bit on the safe side (except for that bright coral lip). The upside is that if you own any other Trish Black Cards, you can easily pop out this one and put in your others. I felt the cheek pans were a bit small for my taste but the blush and bronzer can be easily mixed together. The brushes are functional even though tiny. They are all made in China. I would say the quality of the brushes in the set are quite good, but not quite up to par of her regular full sized brushes. Still they function well for detail touchups.

Have you bought any of Trish’s Little Black Cards before? What do you think of her newest one? I found mine at Neimans but I believe this set is available for sale at all Trish McEvoy counters right now.

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Saks Exclusive Laura Mercier Spring Must-Have Collection

February 28, 2010

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Out of all the Laura Mercier Exclusive Sets this year, the Saks Spring Must-Have Collection is definitely the winner! The set retails for $65 and is exclusive to Saks Fifth Avenue in the US and can now be found online here. It includes:

* full sized Babydoll Lip Glace
* mini pink rose face quad
* mini bold berries eyeshadow quad
* 2 mini brushes, face and pony tail
* mini mascara
* mini foundation primer

FYI – All the colors and items are also available in the regular Laura Mercier line with the exception of the Bold Berries eyeshadow quad which is exclusive to this set. Her mini brushes are excellent in quality and are usually just as good as the full sized versions. By now I have so many mini brushes, I’m starting to get repeats. My mom and sister get to benefit from my extras 🙂

It seems like a really good deal for the set. There is a cute GWP at Saks too (see pics below). The Bold Berries quad is really cute and all the shades have shimmer. I won’t be swatching this quad – I did test it instore and the pigment was pretty good. Seemed to be on par with other single eyeshadow colors. I wish the quad was bigger – it seems like it might be difficult to apply since all the colors are placed so close together. I will just try to use my smaller brushes.

This is the GWP from Saks. It includes a full-sized Blush Lip Glace which is a great natural your-lips-but-better pinky shade.

Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus also have their own exclusive sets. These feature brighter shades of orange, teal and bronze. Fun for summer, but definitely not me and doesn’t seem very “laura mercier.” When I think of Laura Mercier’s line, I think sophisticated, classic, demure. The new sets seem to be very “out-of-the-box” for her brand. Still fun and cute though. The Saks set seemed the most wearable for me. I believe each store’s sets retail for $65 – so if you’re near a neimans or nordies definitely check them out!

FYI – I also purchased some bath and body items along with this set for the GWP.

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Older Posts

Set

Charlotte Tilbury Quick ‘N’ Easy 5 Minute Makeup Sets

Byredo La Sélection Parfum Set – Holiday Discovery Collection

Ole Henriksen – The Works

Tatcha Okasan Mother’s Day Gift Set

Caudalie Favorites Set – Travel/Trial Sized Beauty

Trish McEvoy Delicate Beauty Voyager Collection

Saks Exclusive Laura Mercier Spring Must-Have Collection

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