This Saturday July 11th from 1 to 4 pm, there will be a summer event at Diptyque South Coast Plaza. They’ve teamed up with SEVI Towel to host a Trunk Show featuring showcase SEVI’s Turkish Beach Towels and fresh summer scents from the Diptyque Les Eaux Collection. There will be Sugarfina treats, Teavana teas served, along with wine and champagne. At the event you’ll be able to meet SEVI’s founder Jennifer Soliman (you can read her story on the Tory Burch Blog).
There will be a Diptyque gift with purchase available and a step up. With any $150 purchase you will receive:
A canvas Diptyque Tote
One mini candle
One sampler fragrance set
A Sugarfina $10 gift card
With a $200 purchase you will get both candles and fragrance sampler sets (while supplies last).
Below, a sneak peek of the SEVI Linen Turkish Towels and the gift in the middle. SEVI will be launching a brand new towel at the store as well. I haven’t seen it yet in person but she’s posted a sneak peek on her instagram @sevitowel.
I was lucky to get a first hand sneak peek of one the SEVI Linen Towels – it has a lightweight soft and fluid texture. I wish I had this for my Europe trip. It rolls up into a compact roll and makes the perfect coverup for the beach.
On Sunday I attended my first Sephora event for VIB Rouge members. Receptions were hosted across the US at select Sephora locations for 4x points on purchases, gifts, samples and access to brand experts and specialists. I brought a friend with me to the reception at South Coast Plaza we showed up bright and early at 9 AM.
We spent nearly the full two hours of the event browsing all the aisles. I was really happy Sephora had brand experts from different vendors on site. There were reps from a number of brands, we chatted with some super friendly reps from Hourglass, SK-II, Glam Glow and Nude. My friend works in the beauty industry and we’ve both been long time beauty addicts (she’s my go-to for recs on hair care and skincare and perfume, so pretty much everything). I really liked that there was no pressure from anyone to buy anything which made our shopping experience very enjoyable. Some shots of the Sephora store, some are a bit blurry, but we were really excited so in the rush, I didn’t get the best photos.
The South Coast Plaza store we went to had a Lip Bar, Brow Bar and Foundation Bar where you could get tips on application or color suggestions. We had too much distracting us to sit at any of the beauty booth areas.
There was a small gift bag with samples offered with any $35 purchase. VIB Rouge Members also received a red tote. Our bag included minis of Laura Mercier Foundation Primer, Dr. Jart Beauty Balm, Benefit Watt’s Up, Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5 in 1 Cream, Buxom Mascara, Algenist Eye Renewal Balm, Escada Born in Paradise Perfume.
As we walked around the store several reps handed out a few extra samples if we purchased an item or two from their line. Here’s the loot by the end of our shopping trip for me. We both had so many things on our wish list and literally had to say to each other “we need to go now” before we did more damage to our wallets.
VIB Rouge Gift Bag with $35 Purchase (contents shown in above detail photo)
Glam Glow Brightmud Eye Treatment – sample 1 g packet, we were told this is supposed to be the best for reducing puffy eyes and brightening the under eye area with 6 different caffeines
Glam Glow Powermud Dual Cleanse Treatment – sample 3 g packet – I tried this last night and it stung for 1 minute, afterwards the stinging went away and it seemed to by gentle yet effective, will report more on these after testing more
SK-II also had a few minis available, I gave them to my friend since she had never tried the line before. This was my first Sephora event so I did not really know what to expect. I found it to be a fun and relaxing/laid back shopping experience. I liked that they let us bring a guest that didn’t necessarily have to be a Sephora Beauty Insider. The staff was really patient and friendly. The reps were so helpful in answering questions. The store was very busy but not over-packed so there was plenty of room to wander without having others bump into you or try to knock you over. The only things I would have liked to have would have been to include a map where the brand reps were and their special stations, the Sephora at South Coast Plaza is the largest I’ve ever seen and it was easy to get lost. I also think it would have been great if there were step up gifts available although everyone was very generous with samples and the 4x points is (in my mind) huge.
If you missed out, Sephora is still offering the tiered points on purchases through August 10 online and in stores.
Have you ever been to a Sephora event? Did you go to the VIB Rouge Event on Sunday at your local Sephora stores? What did you end up splurging on? Did you learn anything new?
I stopped by Burberry Beauty at Nordstrom South Coast Plaza mid-May to check out the new Lip Mists (see my window shopping snapshots here). I came home with three things: Lip Mist in Copper, Eyeshadow in Midnight Black, and Blush Lipgloss.
The new Burberry Lip Mists are supposed to be a sheer natural formula with a dewy finish. I didn’t find them as shiny/glossy as Dior or Chanel’s newest lipsticks, nor did I find them really sheer. I would describe them as a medium finish lipstick, the texture is definitely natural but slightly less creamy than their regular formula. I looked at all the shades, the only two that stood out to me were 02 Copper and 09 Feather Pink. I decided to get just one to try, I came home with Copper, a natural brownish-pink.
I also picked up Blush Lipgloss 04 which I find more pinky-rose than most promotional photos show this one as. This one has been repromoted for spring. I’ve had this on my wishlist for a while, I decided to cave. It’s a lovely natural rose blush with shimmer. I would describe it as a neutral-cool shade.
Last, I picked up Burberry’s Midnight Black Eyeshadow – a soft sheer shimmery black. This has a gorgeous shimmer with a slight greyish undertone. It is a bit high maintenance in my opinion. It’s not as easy to blend as the other Burberry shades I have (I own both light and dark, shimmer and mattes). This one applies streaky, sheer and uneven on bare lids. You need an emollient base like UD’s Primer Potion for it to show up well. I applied this with a fine tip smudge brush as a thick smudgey line and then took a lighter shade to apply on top to blend out the edges and then reapplied the black to intensify the color.
Swatched in a few different views:
Overall I love the Blush Lipgloss. The Lip Mists are nice, but I prefer the regular lipstick mainly because the color selection is better. Formula-wise, Lip Mists are less creamy but do have a semi-transparent texture even if the finish isn’t really sheer (in my opinion). Copper is a nice basic but not a must-have. Midnight Black is a disappointment, mainly because I think it will be more of a high maintenance black shadow, but when applied over a moist base and packed on (rather than brushed on) it does show up.
I have a few comparison shots for your reference. I did not have time to swatch them all though and most likely will not be swatching in the near future due to time constraints.
I took the day off work to go to South Coast Plaza. Two-day weekends simply don’t allow enough time to goof off and have fun. I just finished a series of presentations at work so I decided a day off was in order. There were so many beautiful window displays. How fun would it be to have a job in visuals? Unfortunately I didn’t get pictures of all the pretty ones because my iPhone died while I was there. Most of these are from today’s mini shopping trip. There are a couple that are from earlier in the year.
Miu Miu
Tiffany & Co.
Tod’s
Madewell
Louis Vuitton (from earlier this year, can’t believe it’s already mid-May)
Jo Malone – lovely Cherry Blossom displays
Chanel Boutique {swoon}
I missed out on Dior which always has beautiful displays, but you can see Dior’s reflection:
SpaceNK inside Bloomingdales (in the back corner of the beauty department) featuring Rococo Nail Apparel
Have a happy Friday! It appears Blogger is still working out a few kinks with their maintenance. I noticed a number of comments have mysteriously disappeared. If they aren’t restored in the next day or two, I will restore them myself from my emails.
For those wondering, all pics in this particular post were taken with my iPhone which I believe is the very first generation of iPhones. I’m one you would call a “late adopter” of technology and rarely upgrade on new gadgets unless pushed (my regular Sony camera is after all more than 5 years old). Although, when I do, I have to say, I love to oooh and aahhh at all the fancy features and often wonder why I didn’t change sooner.
Back on topic – who makes your favorite window displays?
Yesterday, Diane from OrangeToLA and I met up at Nordstrom South Coast Plaza to check out the new Burberry Beauty line. Ever since we saw the previews in magazines and reviews start to pop up on various blogs, we knew were interested, but weren’t sure what to expect. We were however ecstatic to find that South Coast Plaza was one of the few launch locations for the new beauty line. For me, Karen’s preview (Makeup and Beauty Blog) had me uber-excited. Lisa’s video tutorial (Lisa Eldridge Makeup) added to my anticipation. Amy’s review (Café Makeup) of Rosewood Lipstick had me sold.
*Please do not republish or hotlink photos.*
*All work is copyrighted.*
Still, we were just not sure what to expect. The products definitely looked natural, very much along the lines of what I love. But was it going to be too natural? We discussed the prices: $29 for a “sheer” eyeshadow? We were a bit skeptical. The promotional images I had seen in magazines left me thinking “boring.” However, after an morning of swatching, testing, comparing and browsing, I’m pleased to report that the line exceeded my expectations (especially the eyeshadows). The packaging is simply stunning. Classic and modern both at the same time. The etching of the Burberry print on the packaging and the actual product is done with exquisite detail. I like that the lipsticks have a magnetic click to keep them shut. We each did some major damage and had so much fun. The products are definitely more special and pretty in person than what you see in photos (mine included).
I’ll separate my reviews into different sections, starting with the eyeshadows. We were not brave enough to go in and out of the store to swatch & photograph everything, but both verbally acknowledged and admired Karla’s bravery for doing so every week. How amazing is she?
The Sheer Eyeshadows come in 20 different shades and appeared to have 3 different types of finishes from what we looked at: full matte (such as Taupe Brown), glowy (semi-matte and semi-iridescent such as Trench, Almond, Gold Trench), and iridescent (such as Rosewood, Midnight Blue and Midnight Plum). NOTE that these are my own observations. There was no distinguishing label on any of the colors.
The gorgeous packaging:
The colors are a bit deceiving in two ways:
1) First they look incredibly boring and ordinary in the compact. But don’t be deceived by what you see in the testers or the compact. When you swipe the colors on your skin, you will see a beautiful glow. It’s hard to describe, but they are all very beautiful. Even the matte shades glow on the skin. Even photographs cannot capture the true gorgeousness. On the skin the colors transform into stunners with a soft but complex iridescent glow.
2) The name “Sheer Eyeshadow” is not really descriptive of these eyeshadows. Both Diane and I were surprised. I didn’t expect to be wowed, but one swipe and you get full pigment. They blend beautifully for a soft but not-too-natural eye. They are truely eye enhancers. There are some beautiful blues, rose colors and plums. All have amazing pigment. Don’t let the name fool you. Even the pale shades are very pigmented. I had my eye on Trench which appeared to be a boring eggshell-nude color. It was absolutely stunning on my skin.
I wanted to get virtually every color but limited myself to pick out 3 shades and came home with Porcelain 03, Gold Trench 04 and Almond 06. Yes, I picked boring neutrals, but it was so hard to decide. I wanted to try out a few safety colors to experiment. Also, the line is so new to Nordstrom at this time they didn’t have any information on possible launch events or GWPs. I decided to wait and save more purchases for later dates.
I haven’t had a chance to wear these for a full day to see how long they last. They are incredibly smooth and soft, but not too powdery like some soft shadows can be (like NYX in my experience, which I love, but tend to break easily on me). In my experience, Urban Decay has the smoothest most pigmented shadows out of all the brands I’ve tried. The Burberry has a similar texture and pigment. They’re just a lot more natural and less frosty.
Swatches don’t do these shadows justice:
Are the eyeshadows worth $29 + tax? In my opinion, most definitely yes. I think there is a color for everyone. Even girls who don’t like neutrals will find one shade that will suit their likes. I will say the line is more for the woman who prefers natural and polished makeup. But there are pretty non-neutral colors that are still very wearable. In addition, there are shades that darker-skinned ladies will like. The lipstick range is pretty diverse from light to bright to dark in my opinion – but all classic types of colors.
What else did we get? I got a few lipsticks, glosses and a blush which will be reviewed soon. Check out Diane’s blog Orange2LA.com for her take. Her review is now up on her blog here. After our Burberry adventure, we went to look for the new Guerlain Fall palettes. Some of you have already asked me if I’ll be getting one. We found them at Saks and our wallets are extremely happy to report that we both passed and weren’t the slightest bit tempted. They are pretty. Just not worth the price. We both agreed there’s a limit, even for beauty junkies like us. $84 could be stretched a lot farther with other brands. We would both rather buy more Paul & Joe or Burberry instead.
*Please do not republish or hotlink photos.* *All work is copyrighted.*
I was invited to my first blogger event hosted by South Coast Plaza for an afternoon filled with fashion, beauty, travel-packing tips, good food and great shopping. It was a great event and I was able to meet bloggers Stef and Tyna from We Heart This, Diane from Orange2LA, Alex from Blab Communications and many other wonderful women from the South Coast Plaza marketing team.
SCP is over an hour drive from where I live, and since I don’t go often, I’m always up for any excuse to go. When I received the invite, I knew I had to attend. While I’m lucky enough to have access to most of my favorite brands, South Coast Plaza does have a number of unique stores that I don’t get to shop at frequently. Among my favorites to check out are MAC Pro, Shu Uemura, Miu Miu, the Bloomingdales Chanel Studio (which carries select imported Asian/European exclusives), and the corner where they have Space NK. In addition they have a gigantic Sephora and large J.Crew store which are always fun. The mall also carries a wide variety of designer boutiques including Tod’s, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Dior, Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, Ted Baker to name a few. One can definitely say that there’s something there for everyone.
The event was focused around a travel/bon voyage/jet setters theme and they gave us a tour featuring a few select stores with product demonstrations at Tumi, Spa Nordstrom, Henri Bendel, and a new lingerie boutique called Intimacy. While I don’t normally shop at the stores that were featured, I found the product demonstrations helpful, interesting and educational. I know that I will definitely go back to Tumi in the near future with my husband to shop for travel gear. There are so many different options to make packing easy and efficient. So many fun accessories. In my excitement, I wasn’t able to get as many photos as I wanted, but here are a few that I was able to capture.
Tumi Demonstration:
Henri Bendel (smaller version of the one in NY, but still chic and cute):
Rows of my most favorite candles in the world (but I purchase mine at Bath & Body Works):
Loved the design of the cute scent cards:
Found this note pad amusing (want vs. need):
The new Intimacy Boutique:
We were given about 1 hour to shop on our own time before cocktails (hardly enough time) so Diane and I rushed to Bloomingdales to see if Chanel Fall had arrived (no luck yet), then to Molton Brown to check out their shower gels and hair care line. I’ve been a huge fan of Molton Brown’s Coco De Mer Shower Gel – but unfortunately the stores near me no longer carry the line which makes it a bit difficult for me to replace these days. I wanted to try something new, so I picked up several shower gels in their travel size (6 for $49) in Heavenly Ginger, Inspiring Indigo and Cool Buchu (for the husband). For visiting, they gave us a complimentary goody bag filled with some minis to try out.
My Molton Brown purchases (left) + gift (right):
I went back to SpaceNK at Bloomingdales to check out more Rococo nail polish shades. My readers know I am a fan of Rococo Nail Apparel for their color selection and quality. Those not familiar with the line, check out my previous articles, swatches and reviews (linked here) of the nail polishes. I have forever been trying to purchase Fashion Victim Day and Fashion Victim Night but it seems as though they are always out of stock. There was a lovely dusty purple cream shade that I was enamored with, but they were sold out of that color too. I settled for a raspberry red shade called Trash (shocking for me, I know, but the color is really lovely).
One hour later, we were treated to appetizers, cocktails, dinner and a fashion show featuring Jimmy Choo and La Perla at AnQi by Crustacean. I sat with Stef, Tyna and Diane (all beauty bloggers) and we had chatted non-stop about our beauty favorites, compared cameras, discussed our favorite brands, shared skincare tips. Stef & Tyna have a wealth of knowledge from testing a wide variety of products. Both had flawless skin so I need to find out their secret. I am reading through their blog right now to see what new lines I should try out based on their recommendations (I hear Kate Somerville is good). Diane and I hit it off from the start – we both love the same brands (among our top two picks include Chanel and Paul & Joe). Her eyeshadow look was incredibly gorgeous and she has lovely hair (I immediately took note of her favorite hair care brands and am determined to try them out in the next month).
The customized Anqi menu for the bloggers:
The La Perla Fashion Show:
It was an eventful afternoon and it was great to meet other bloggers and marketing professionals. Even though the event lasted from 2 pm to past 8 pm, there was still a lot more I wanted to visit but didn’t have the time. I definitely have more to explore at South Coast Plaza. I’m already planning my next trip – hopefully in the next few months or so.
Diane has also written an article on the event. Check out her fabulous blog and article here at Orange2LA.com.
