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On My Radar / New in Beauty

July 29, 2014

Some new items on my radar this week, top left clockwise:

As fall collections and new skin/haircare items start trickling in, I’d love to hear what’s on your beauty radar!
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On My Radar

July 16, 2014

Here are a few things on my radar this week. Fall collections are starting to arrive and I’m excited about the upcoming releases. From the top left, clockwise:
  • NARS Fall 2014 launches this week online at narscosmetics.com, I have my eye on Dolomites Eyeshadow Duo, Unlawful Blush and the two new Satin Lip Pencils in Bansar and Mandore
  • Marc Jacobs Beauty has launched some new Lust for Lacquer lip glosses, there are three new Lip Vinyl Sheers in Shiny, Magic and Superstar and two new Lip Vinyl Full shades in Shooting Stars and Satisfaction
  • I’ve been on the hunt for new sunglasses and after hours of searching, I think I’m finally narrowed it down to either these Marc by Marc Jacobs aviators or some Kate Spade classic shades that are on sale
  • Chanel Les 4 Ombres have hit counters, I’m in love with Poésie and Tissé Rivoli but have my eye on Tissé Vénitien (greens), Tissé Grabrielle (smokey) and Tissé Vendome because the formula is just so amazing with rich smooth pigment
  • For the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, I picked up the MAC Coral Look in a Box, the eyeshadow trio has really pretty pigmented colors and the lips options are stunning peachy corals, I’ll review this soon but I give this a huge thumbs up
  • In the past few months I’ve been testing out some cleansing oils from Chanel, Tatcha and Shu Uemura, I’ll have a report soon on the ones I’ve tested but in the meantime I’d love to hear what your favorites are

What’s on your radar this week? Were you able to pick up anything from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale yet? With fall beauty collections starting to trickle in stores, what do you have your eye on?

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Tatcha Indigo Minis – Travel-Sized Hand and Body Creams

July 10, 2014

Today Tatcha launches two extensions to their Travel Sized Beauty offerings with minis of the Indigo Soothing Silk Hand Cream ($8 for 10 mL / .34 fl. oz.) and Soothing Silk Body Butter ($12 for 30mL / 1 oz). They are perfectly sized for your purse or makeup bag and travel-friendly. I brought two of the Tatcha minis with me on my recent trip to Minneapolis (see my Travel/Trial Sized Beauty post).

For those new to Tatcha, the Indigo line is super hydrating and good for those with dry skin that gets easily irritated. I carry the hand cream with me on-the-go on a regular basis but the new travel size is easier to carry. The body butter is a must-have for travel since my skin always gets dried out on airplanes. For more details on these items you can read my review of the two Indigo items here. 
Tatcha currently offers ten items in a mini travel/trial size. They are perfect for testing out before committing to a full size product that can be on the expensive side. You can shop their Travel Beauty here. Be sure to follow Tatcha on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter for updates and special promo codes. They offered this duo as a gift with purchase a couple months ago and their gifts are usually offered at really reasonable minimum purchase thresholds.
This post contains samples sent courtesy of Tatcha for review. For more information refer to my Disclosures.

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Tatcha Deluxe Sample Giveaway for Beauty Look Book Readers

July 1, 2014
Tatcha is doing an awesome giveaway for US readers of The Beauty Look Book. Sign up for their newsletter to be entered to win one of 50 deluxe samples of their Supple Moisture Rich Silk Cream. The Tatcha newsletter is one of the few that I stay subscribed to for blog updates, new product information and special promo codes they offer through Tatcha.com.
Sign up for their newsletter here (entries now closed) and Tatcha will randomly select 50 US subscribers to each receive one deluxe sample of their Supple Moisture Rich Silk Cream. Giveaway entries will be collected for one week through July 7th, 2014. Winners will be contacted directly by Tatcha.
Special thanks to Tatcha for hosting this giveaway!
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Beauty Travel

Travel / Trial Sized Beauty – Skincare for Face and Body

July 1, 2014

Since my last trip in April I’ve been on the hunt for more mini-sized beauty items for travel and testing. One area I always neglect in packing is skincare for face and body. I almost never check in luggage so I’m limited to one carry-on and therefore subject to the one quart-size bag rule for liquids. Squeezing in all the items into one bag is a challenge for me but I’ve learned that skipping out on good skincare usually results in ruined skin that takes weeks to recover (at least for me). This time I took extra care to plan in advance and did quite a bit of research in the weeks leading up to the trip looking for good travel-sized minis. This is what I brought with me, all of which fit perfectly into one quart sized bag. I love minis for skincare anyways as a way to test out new items without having to splurge on the full size.

  • SK-II Facial Treatment Cleanser ($70 for full size) was part of a mini gift with purchase from Saks, I frequently check the Special Offers page before stocking up on the full size, this is one of my favorite face cleansers, when I don’t have minis of my regular face cleansers, I squeeze some into a little disposable container
  • Caudalie Cleansing Water (50 ml/1.69 fl oz) the mini size is part of The Favorites Set ($32) which I’ve been a huge fan of, this is a gentle makeup remover that makes the skin feel clean and moisturized (FYI there is a Caudalie GWP online for a Deluxe Size Divine Oil with $50+ purchases using code DIVINE through July 2nd)
  • MAC Cleanse Off Oil / Tranquil ($10 for 30 ml/1.0 fl oz) is one of the mini to-go sizes for MAC skincare, I bought this to test out since I’ve been a huge fan of the regular Cleanse Off Oil, I find the Tranquil version to be more gentle with a moisturizing feel, I prefer the Regular version to remove makeup before cleansing (with long-wear makeup, I’ve found I need a few extra steps to remove every trace of primer, concealer, foundation, powder and blush)
  • Chanel Gentle Biphase Eye Makeup Remover ($34 for the full size) is a mini I stock up on with gift with purchases during Chanel events, it’s the best I’ve tried (I favor it over Lancome) that removes waterproof mascara and long-wear eyeliners without stinging the eyes
  • Giorgio Armani Regenessence 3.R Pre-Regenerative and Retexturizing Lotion ($53 for the full size) is my current toner of choice, it makes the skin feel really and soft and helps to smooth out the surface before serums or moisturizers, I got the mini size with a Neiman Marcus gift with purchase event and saved the bottle, I refill it with the full size when I go on trips or weekend getaways

  • Caudalie Divine Oil ($9 for 15 ml/.05 fl oz) is a must-have for me, I use it almost daily for the legs and arms, I love how this one smells refreshing and especially how it absorbs into the skin quickly, it’s often available in value sets like this Sephora Summer Crushes set and I’ve seen it in seasonal duos, I bought my first Divine Oil because my friend said, “at $9 you won’t be crushed if you don’t like it, but you will, you need to try it, it’s amazing” – she was right, I’m rarely without this one (it’s often in my purse)
  • Caudalie Divine Legs (25 ml/0.84 fl oz) in the mini size is usually part of yet more value deal sets, there’s one for $32 that comes with a 50 ml Divine Oil + 25 ml Divine Legs, I have super sensitive skin that often reacts to tanning and bronzing products, although this one from Caudalie doesn’t tan, it does give a nice bronzed leg effect that I found very natural, since there were mixed reviews on Sephora, I thought getting the set with the mini was good to try, I tested the Divine Legs this past weekend rubbing quickly into the legs after moisturizing with a light layer of the Divine Oil, it dried quickly but I was able to work it in quickly before it set, I wore a black dress and skirt over the past few days so I didn’t notice any transfer to clothing, I’ll have to test this one out a few more times but I liked it and didn’t experience any irritation
  • Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream (30 ml/1 fl oz) is another lovely item from The Favorites Set, I have a number of tried and true favorite hand creams, I picked this one because of the refreshing lightweight scent and compact size
  • Tatcha Indigo Soothing Silk Body Butter (30 ml) is a new addition to Tatcha’s Travel Sized beauty, if you’re on their mailing list you might recognize this as one of the past gift with purchases they offered (they have special promo codes), this one will this one will be available for purchase mid to late July, you can read my full review here, some might wonder if I brought a body oil with me, did I really need to bring a body lotion as well? I could have gotten away with bringing just one, but I like the Tatcha for it’s soothing qualities, sometimes my skin acts up and gets itchy from being dry, the Tatcha Indigo line works wonders for hydration and soothing

  • Chanel Sublimage La Creme Texture Fine ($390 for the full size 1.7 oz) is one of the most amazing face moisturizers I’ve tried and also one of my biggest splurges, it hydrates the skin and keeps it looking smooth and clear, there are often minis available with gift with purchases, sometimes counters have samples to give out (they are more friendly with samples if you make a decent sized purchase) 
  • Ole Henriksen Truth Serum ($15 for 0.5 fl oz/15 ml) is one of my favorite serums, I love the small travel/trial size which is available at a good price, it’s often part of deal sets as well such as The Works, the best part is the mini packaging comes with a super convenient pump dispenser making it easy to use
  • Tatcha Camellia Beauty Oil ($33 for 10 ml) is the cutest mini-sized beauty oil, it’s the perfect size to test out in case you’re hesitant about oils in general (I am), when I travel, my skin tends to dry out a bit, I used this at night before bed to smooth the skin and give it an extra boost of hydration over night, on regular days, I use the oil for day 1-2x per week alternating with my regular serum/moisturizer routine, it gives the skin a super hydrated refreshed feel without feeling heavy (more thoughts on this one here)
  • Tatcha Ageless Revitalizing Eye Cream ($29 for 3 ml) came with a Barneys gift bag event offer, I love testing out mini eye creams and this one is super tiny which was good to fit into the corners of my quart sized bag, I found this one to be a bit heavy for my needs, it’s a rich creamy eye treatment I found good for overnight hydration (applied in small doses) but for everyday it will probably be too heavy for my skin type, this is the beauty of minis, you can test items to see how they work for you before committing to the full size

  • Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray ($14 for 30 ml/1.0 fl oz) has had so many raves on Sephora so I made a quick stop to one of the stores during my trip and picked one up. It’s described as a weightless spray that keeps your makeup looking fresh for up to 16 hours. I attended a wedding over the weekend in semi-humid weather and thought this would be the perfect time to test something like this. Most of the wedding was indoors and it didn’t last 16 hours so I couldn’t really test this to see if it lived up to its claims. I did like the lightweight feeling, it spritzes a super fine layer of mist over the face evenly (huge plus for me) and it kept my makeup looking fresh and melt-free for around 7 hours.
  • Clinique Color Correcting Superprimer ($27 for 1 fl oz, review here) was my primer of choice for the weekend for its smoothing properties, you can see the difference in the texture of the skin once applied, it works well under liquid foundations as well
  • Origins Clear Improvement Mask Pods ($8 for 4 one-time use pods) is another item I picked up during my trip, I loved the concept of the one-time use pods and am usually skeptical about pore-cleansing masks since most usually are either too strong and sting the skin or so gentle it feels like nothing (my favorite from MAC was discontinued). I used one pod during my trip and was really impressed with how well this cleansed and tightened the skin, after one use pores were visibly smaller, there is a slight tingly feeling but it did not irritate or sting the skin, based on the reviews I’ve read and my experience with one pod, this one shows a lot of promise
All the liquid/gel items in my zip-loc quart size bag – yes, they all fit including a mini perfume and bottle of Chanel foundation 🙂

Overall this trip I felt like I packed all the essentials (and then some) for skin care face and body. I did skip bringing shampoo, conditioner and shower gels and relied on what was at the hotel (I was really happy that they had Neutrogena). I ended up using everything I brought with me along with the two items I purchased on the trip at Sephora. I don’t travel often so it’s taken a few tries for me to get the right mix of products while I’m away from home. I think this time I’ve finally found my perfect mix of items for skincare. (If you want to know what makeup I brought with me let me know in the comments below, otherwise you can see what I carried with me on previous trips by clicking on the Travel tag.)

Do you have any favorite travel sized beauty items? What items did you end up loving from mini-testing that made you buy the full size? Any new discoveries lately? Also if you ended up hating something from testing out a mini, I’d love to hear about your experiences.

Some items in this post were provided for review consideration and some minis were acquired from various gift with purchase events. Most items were purchased by me. For more information please refer to my Disclosures.

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GWP

Tatcha Summer Essentials Gift With Purchase

June 29, 2014

Deal alert: Tatcha is having a special summer gift with purchase. Enjoy a complimentary limited-edition “Summer Essentials” ($100 value), our gift to you with any purchase of $75 or more. Your kit includes a full-size Luminous Dewy Skin Mist, a Deep Hydration Lifting Mask, a Deep Hydration Revitalizing Eye Mask and Original Aburatorigami Beauty Papers.

To redeem, simply enter the code SUMMERFUN14 at checkout.
While supplies last, limited-time offer, expires Thursday, July 3, 2014.

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Loving Right Now / Beauty Preview

June 23, 2014

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Right now I’m loving Diptyque Feu de Bois and Lumira Tahitian Coconut for the home. For lips I’ve been obsessed with Tom Ford In the Buff Sheer Lip Color – it is the perfect soft nude for me, most of the colors from the spring collection are sold out but you can still find this one at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman (Bergdorfs has a beauty GWP going on). 

I attended a small Chanel event at my local Neiman Marcus a few weeks ago and the artist used Chanel Utopia Illusion d’Ombre all over the lids with a bit of Chanel Les Beiges No. 40 as a contour and a black liner. It was so simple but really pretty and polished. Since then I’ve been wearing Utopia almost every other day. I’ve also found myself wearing Chanel Les Beiges powders on the face on a daily basis. I use No. 20 for a soft setting powder and darker ones in No. 30 and 40 to add warmth and contour (swatches of all three from last year here). The summer Multi-Colour No. 02 is also a new favorite for bronzing. It’s listed as limited-edition on Chanel.com so I will definitely need to get a backup. 

For a quick preview on what will be coming soon on The Beauty Look Book, I purchased some items from Chanel Fall. Shown above are the three Le Vernis Nail Colors in Secret, Atmosphere and Orage, Glossimer in Rose Reve. I’m also working on swatches of Burberry’s two new Sheer Eyeshadows in Storm Grey #27 and Graphite #28 (they’re listed as being on backorder on Nordstrom, but I ordered one and it shipped right away, another option is to call one of the Burberry counters, Nordstrom San Francisco has both).

Last preview is that Tatcha has launched several Travel Sized Mini skincare items for sale. They sent me the mini oil for review (feature soon) and I’ve already ordered three other items to take with me for an upcoming trip. They are perfect for travel or to try something out before committing to the full size.
For non-beauty loves, I’m loving nude pinks for accessories. Also bookmarking lots of items in J.Crew’s Style Guide for summer (have you checked out their blog?).
Stay tuned for the reviews soon!
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