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Tom Ford Beauty

Packing Travel

Travel Beauty Picks for Spring

May 4, 2015

A couple weeks ago I attended the third rewardStyle conference in Dallas, Texas. It was such an amazing week and I was thrilled to meet so many incredible women, many of whom have been such a huge inspiration to me over the years. It was also great to discover and meet some new people. I loved hearing about how other bloggers got started blogging, their professional backgrounds, chatting about work/life/blog balance, and more. The week was packed with events, meetings and educational sessions but I managed to snap a few photos of my week there. Today I’m sharing the beauty items I brought with me. I waited to the last minute to pack my items and didn’t plan in advance (which is how I ended up bringing 3 mascaras with me and way too many brushes). I’ll go through what I packed, how I packed it and what I ended up using.

Quick snapshots from the rewardStyle conference. For more on the event, you can search the hashtag #rStheCon via social channels to see more of the festivities. One of the biggest highlights of my week was being able to hang out with Rachel from Beauty Professor (yay #bbloggers!):

Here’s how I packed the vast majority of my beauty items. I brought a lot of items with me, most were to use for day or night. Some items I brought with intent of finishing up some posts and product reviews. Due to the busy scheduling of meetings and events I didn’t get to complete the reviews I planned. Even though I brought a lot of items with me several pouches and brush holders helped keep everything compact and organized.

  1. Barneys New York Love Yourself 2015 gift with purchase bag is the perfect size to carry lots of compacts, lipsticks, tools, mascaras etc. I like that it’s large but sturdy. For travel I usually travel with my Bobbi Brown Train Case (shown here and here) but the Barneys Makeup Pouch fit into my suitcase better for this trip.
  2. Make Up For Ever Dany’s Pouch is a two-piece makeup pouch you can use to store brushes, pencils or mascara wands. It keeps the brush tips from getting smashed and when you travel it doubles as a brush holder.
  3. MustaeV Bloom Pouch (c/o) is something I received at The Makeup Show LA. The pouch comes in two sizes, small is shown above. Large version is shown here. These are flat zip pouches that come with a magnetic closure and a top that folds down so you can transform it into a brush holder. It’s an innovative makeup bag that stays relatively flat when you zip it making it slimmer and easier to slip into small spaces.
  4. Truffle Large Clarity Pouch (c/o) measures 10 inches by 12 inches. The see thru plastic makes it easy to see what’s inside so you don’t have to dig around bags to find things. The flat shape is flexible but I personally like to keep flat things inside so the material doesn’t become stretched. That being said, the Truffle bags are extremely sturdy so they tend to keep their shape.
  5. Quart-sized ziploc to keep all my liquids. I usually travel with one carry on and one personal item since I just find it easier to travel that way. My trips are usually on the shorter side so I can get away with one suitcase. 

The liquids, skincare, hair care and more:

I was able to fit all of these items in the quart sized bag. Most of these are minis I’ve been saving up for months from Sephora Beauty Insider offerings, online promo codes and gift with purchase events. A few brands I like offer travel items you can actually purchase. I wish more brands offered travel sizes you could buy or test out. Do you stock on up on minis to save for travel or do you use them as soon as you get them?
  1. First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser mini gwp
  2. Caudalie Instant Detox Mask mini gwp
  3. MAC Prep + Prime Blemish Control Gel
  4. Bioderma travel size (review here)
  5. Lancome Bi-Facil travel size gwp
  6. Chanel Le Coton
  7. Q-Tips 
  8. Drybar The Chaser sample gwp
  9. Byredo Black Saffron mini sample gwp
  10. Tatcha Indigo Hand Cream travel size (c/o) 
  11. Cle de Peau Beaute Essential Correcting Refiner gwp
  12. Tatcha Dewy Skin Mist travel size (c/o) 
  13. Make up For Ever Instant Brush Cleaner travel size
  14. Bumble and Bumble Invisible Oil Primer gwp
  15. Bumble and Bumble Straight Blowdry Creme gwp
  16. Chanel Le Lift Creme gwp
  17. Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Serum gwp 
  18. Chanel Le Nuit sample gwp
  19. Chanel Sublimage Eye Cream gwp
For makeup, I packed summery colors with lots of shimmer. For cheeks, I layered the Tom Ford Cream blush with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting bronzer and blushes. To highlight I relied on Edward Bess’s Afterglow. For the eyes I primarily used the Tom Ford Cream and Powder Duos and the MAC Palette. Those two were sufficient to get me through the trip. I didn’t end up using the Burberry Shadows or any of the Cream Shadow Sticks I brought with me. 

  1. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger (review here)
  2. YSL Touche Eclat in 5.5 (swatched here)
  3. Chanel CC Cream in Beige 30 (review here)
  4. NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation in Punjab (in mini empty sample jar I had on hand, review along with swatches here)
  5. Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick in Ibiza (review here)
  6. Tom Ford Cream Cheek Color in Pink Sand (review here, c/o)
  7. Burberry Wet & Dry Glow Eyeshadows in Nude and Shell (review here, Shell c/o)
  8. MAC Warm Neutrals x15 Palette
  9. NARS Brow Perfector in Caucase
  10. Edward Bess Illuminating Eye Base in Dune (swatched here)
  11. Chanel Stylo Eyeshadow in Caroube (review soon)
  12. By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Brown Perfection and Frozen Quartz
  13. Burberry Bold Lash Mascara (c/o) 
  14. Marc Jacobs O!Mega Lash Mascara (c/o) 
  15. Armani Eyes to Kill Stretch Mascara
  16. Tom Ford Cream and Powder Eyeshadow Duos (review here, c/o)
  17. Marc Jacobs Poutliner in Honeybun (reviewed here)
  18. Edward Bess All Over Seduction in Afterglow (swatched here)
  19. YSL Glossy Stain in Wet Nude (review here)
  20. Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Reveuse (review soon)
  21. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Radiant Bronze (review here)
  22. NARS x Christopher Kane Lip Gloss (review soon)

For brushes and tools, I brought some of my favorites along with the Make Up For Ever Instant Brush Cleaner. It gives a good quick clean but doesn’t give them a thorough washing like shampoo or traditional brush cleaners. Left to right includes:

Wayne Goss Holiday Brush (reviewed here)
old mascara wand I recycled for brows
Additional beauty items I brought with me:

  1. Tatcha Japanese Blotting Papers (regular and evening versions)
  2. Misc hair ties
  3. Drybar Lemondrop Detangler Brush
  4. Lavanila Fresh Lemon Deoderant
  5. Drybar Buttercup Blow Dryer
  6. GHD Flat Iron
  7. Drybar Hold Me Hair Clips
I definitely overpacked beauty items, but it’s something I almost always do. With the exception of foundation, I think I brought enough items to last a full month even though I was only traveling for a week. I used all of the liquids for skincare and haircare that I brought with me so I think those items were well packed (I relied on the hotel for other things like shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, toothpaste). For makeup, I could have left 60% of the items at home. I did intend to swatch/review a lot of the items but should have known better that time and energy would be limited while traveling. For brushes I used fingers to apply foundation during the week so I could have skipped the cream foundation brush. All of the other brushes were used during the trip and I could have left the instant brush cleaner at home but I found it handy to clean off the eye brushes for a quick clean.
There were a lot of skincare items I wanted to bring with me but didn’t have small containers to pour out product into for travel. I know many of you have mentioned you buy small travel jars at Target or the Container Store for your travels, if you have any specific favs or other recommendations to store liquids or creams while you travel I would love to hear about them!
Do you travel a lot? If yes, how do you carry/store your beauty products? How do you edit what you bring with you? Are there any things you can’t be without when you travel? I can’t live without my hairdryer or flat iron so it usually goes with me on every trip even though they take up a lot of room in my suitcase.

P.S. For those planning a trip whether it’s overnight or for an extended period, the Tumi Just In Case duffle is a lifesaver in terms of packing. I usually end up bringing more items home with me than I took with me and the Tumi Just In Case Duffle is something that folds into a small pouch you can store in your suitcase. You can see the diagrams on the Tumi website to see how it works, but it’s a foldable sturdy nylon tote that has a their add-a-bag sleeve on the back so you can put it on the handles of your suitcase. 

Some items in this post were samples from gift with purchase events and some were press samples all of which are disclosed next to each listed item with a gwp or c/o note. The remainder items from my purchased by me.

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Lips Tom Ford Beauty

Tom Ford Beauty Lip Color Sheers Skinnydip and Rose Soleil for Summer 2015

April 30, 2015

There are four featured Lip Color Sheers ($50 each for .1 oz/3g) for the Tom Ford Summer Beauty Collection. The two new shades are Skinnydip and Rose Soleil which come alongside Sweet Spot and Paradisio which are repromoted colors from 2014 (previously swatched here). I picked up the two new shades last weekend from Neiman Marcus Northpark in Dallas with Beauty Professor (we took a quick break from the rewardStyle conference to do some beauty shopping). Both of the new colors are to-die-for gorgeous. In my testing experience with Tom Ford Beauty, I find his lipsticks to be the best beauty product in his line and the new Lip Color Sheers are perfect for summer.

Both colors are shimmers, but they are not frosty. If you’re familiar with the Lip Color Sheer formula from last year, you know some of the colors are sheer and glossy while the brights are glossy but rich. The new shades for Summer 2015 have the perfect mix of pigment and gloss with medium coverage. Skinnydip is a light nude rose peach with some gold shimmer. Rose Soleil is complex deeper rose pink with gold flecks mixed in. Swatched on the arms or the back of the hand they may appear sheer, but on the lips they meld with your natural lip tone to give the prettiest wash of color. On my lips they are visible and show up.

There is a soft vanilla scent to these. Lasting power is medium, they will stay put better than most sheer or glossy lip colors (as in they won’t disappear or slide off within an hour). The sheer finish makes any fading more forgiving so you don’t end up with contrasted color around the edges. I find it won’t last through a meal or snacks, but I find that to be the case with most lipsticks or glosses (unless they are ultra long-wear or stains).   

Some more close ups and swatches:

Skinnydip on my lips along with comparisons swatches shown below. I pulled out last year’s Lip Color Sheers in Pink Dune and In the Buff along with the Lips and Boys in William. There is a similar vibe but to me, Skinnydip has more peach and gold compared to last year’s lip color sheers. Compared to William Lips & Boys, Skinnydip has less frost and is slightly more nude.

Indoor natural light:

In direct sun:

Comparison swatches:

Dior Rouge Dior Baume in Milly (reviewed here)
YSL Rouge Volupte Shine 22 Nude Indeed
Tom Ford 2014 Lip Color Sheers In the Buff/Pink Dune (reviewed here)
Tom Ford Lips and Boys in Peter and William (swatched here)

Rose Soleil seems more unique compared to the other lip colors I own. It has a deep rose pink base but has a brightness to it that prevents it from looking dark. The gold flecks add dimension to it. The complexity makes this one look different in the tube depending on the angle or lighting. Sometimes I see more plum and berry, other times I see a darker base with gold flecks. Swatches below.

Comparison swatches below show that Rose Soleil has a unique mix of plum, pink, berry and gold. I find it most similar to MAC Viva Glam VI lipstick but the Tom Ford has more gold, more berry and more shimmer.

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine in #11 and 7 (swatched here)
Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Bel-Ami (arm swatched here)
Guerlain KissKiss Shaping Cream Lipstick in Fabulous Rose (lip swatched here)
MAC Lipstick in Viva Glam VI

Quick re-swatch of Sweet Spot and Paradisio for reference:

One last shot of the Summer 2015 Lip Color Sheers in Skinnydip and Rose Soleil:

I’ve been told at the counters that both shades are limited-edition but I haven’t confirmed it yet. Update: I just received confirmation from Tom Ford Beauty that the lip color sheers are permanent this round!! In my opinion both are quite beautiful, soft and fresh. They give the lips a healthy glow with just the right amount of color to show up but still look natural. For me I find both colors to be must-haves and I’ve purchased back ups.
Have you checked out the Tom Ford Soleil Collection for summer yet? In case you missed it:
Cream and Powder Eye Color Duos swatched/reviewed here
Cream and Powder Eye Color Duo comparison swatches here
Cream Cheek Color in Pink Sand swatched/reviewed here

You can find the Lip Color Sheers at Tom Ford counters and stores now. Available online at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Tom Ford.
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Eye Makeup Tom Ford Beauty

Tom Ford Summer 2015 Cream & Powder Eye Color Swatch Comparisons

April 28, 2015

As promised I pulled some other cream shadows to compare to the Tom Ford Beauty Summer shadow duos. Many thanks to my savvy readers who already knew some of the creams were duplicates (or repeats) of prior limited-edition shades. There are a couple colors that keep selling out online but are available for back order. If you want all shades, you may have to shop around. My local counter had all of their Naked Bronze and Golden Peach reserved via pre-sales. I’ve compiled a list to help save you time from clicking around (note this is subject to change as items sell out):

Above shown Top Row, left to right:
Bottom Row, left to right:
Swatches:
My conclusion is that the new summer duos do indeed include repeats of previously released cream shadows from Tom Ford. If you already own Spice, Pink Haze and the Golden Mink Quad (I don’t own this but I swatched in store to compare), you can skip Golden Peach and Naked Bronze if you want to avoid dupes. The Spring 2015 Cream Shadow is really close to Midnight Sea but not an exact dupe when you look at it in person. The summer duo is slightly lighter in color while the spring shade is a bit deeper. I really like the concept of the new summer Cream & Powder pots because of the packaging and having two shades in one compact for convenience (plus the mirror to apply if you’re on the go or need to touch up before going out).

Hope this helps! Did you buy or test out any of the Tom Ford summer duos yet? If yes, which ones and what are your thoughts so far?

The Tom Ford Summer Duos were provided as press samples for review consideration. All other items purchased by me.

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Bronzer + Blush Highlighters Tom Ford Beauty

Tom Ford Beauty Cream Cheek Color Pink Sand for Summer 2015

April 27, 2015

Tom Ford Beauty has released a Cream Cheek Color for summer called Pink Sand ($65 for 0.17 0z/5 g, made in Canada). It’s a luminous soft pink gold blush that gives my medium/olive skin a soft glow that comes cased in a small white and gold mirrored compact. There is enough color that you can see the pink color but on my complexion I find it performs more like a highlighter shade rather than a traditional blush. The effect is similar to the glow NARS Orgasm gives minus the frost and minus the peachy tone. Pink Sand is multi-dimensional so depending on how the light hits it sometimes you will see more of the pink base, other times you will see more of the gold shimmer. I love how it gives a natural glow to the skin.

It has a soft creamy feel with a dewy glow finish. On the cheeks it stays dewy but as the day progresses remains dewy but not greasy. I’ve been experimenting with this for two weeks now and like this either alone for low-key makeup days, as a base for powder blush or bronzer to give cheeks dimension and help color adhere to the face, or topped on top of cheek bones over blush/bronzer for a highlight. It’s really versatile. I’ve also tried this on the lips. It looks pretty topped with a clear gloss or dabbed in the center to add a bit of shimmer. As far as I can tell there is no detectable scent or taste.

A few more close ups and swatches:

Swatched with a heavy hand, once blended it sheers out:

A few comparison swatches to other cream and liquid highlighter/blushes. Most of these were either limited-edition or were discontinued (previous features and reviews will linked below):

Tom Ford Cream Cheek Color in Pink Sand

Pink Sand offers a radiant no-fuss easy to use glow to my medium skin (I use Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation in Bisque 4, swatches to other foundations in rotation here). On lighter skin tones the pink will show up more and probably make this look more like a pink blush. If you’re medium to dark this will probably perform more like a highlighter on your skin tone. Lasting power on my normal combination skin was very good, from morning to afternoon without fading. If you have super oily skin you may find the dewy factor increase into the afternoon. Being a huge fan of Tom Ford Beauty I really love this one. It’s quite a splurge at $65 so if you’re unable to test in person I hope you find the swatches and comparisons in this post helpful.

The Tom Ford Soleil Collection for summer is starting to trickle in stores and online. You can find Pink Sand now online at Nordstrom and Saks. Available for pre-order at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Tom Ford (while supplies last as it is a limited-edition item).

The Tom Ford Pink Sand was provided courtesy of the PR team for review consideration.

7 Comments
Eye Makeup Tom Ford Beauty

Tom Ford Beauty Cream and Powder Eye Colors Summer 2015

April 25, 2015

Summer collections are starting to surface and the color offerings this year seem like the perfect mix of natural + fresh color. I was thrilled to get an early sneak peek at some of Tom Ford’s summer collection. First up I have the Cream and Powder Eye Colors ($60 each for 0.24 oz. base/ 0.07 oz for top).

The Cream and Powder Eye Colors come packaged in a double-tiered pot shadow with a flip top lid that has a small mirror. You simply twist the bottom to get to the cream, while the powder glitter is on top. Being a glitter-phobe, I was really worried how these would perform but I’ve had really good experiences with some of the quads like Seductive Rose and the limited-edition Ombre Eye Color Trios from a couple years ago so I had high hopes for these new summer duos.

Each color is really quite stunning and perfect to wear alone. The cream shadows are creamy and emollient but don’t slide, budge or fade after application. I’ve been playing around with each duo, I like to apply the cream shade first on the lids, blended into a soft gradient. Then I take my finger and dip it into the glitter powder and dab onto the lids on top of the cream shadow. For a glitter product I was really impressed to find there was no fallout and that they lasted a long time (from morning until afternoon). If you use a brush for the powder there might be a tiny bit of debris that will fall onto the cheeks or under the eyes, I was able to get no fall out a couple times, but then some others there was a tiny bit. For this reason I prefer using the fingers to pat them on.

There are four colors which are some of the prettiest duos I’ve seen. The glittery powders are semi-sheer in terms of color but there is still a lot of pigment. When layered over the cream shadows they enhance the color of the creams and add dimension.
  • Naked Bronze has a deep warm bronzey cream and a sheer gold shimmer/glitter for the powder
  • Golden Peach has a warm pinky peachy metallic with a sheer warm peachy glitter powder
  • Black Oyster has a deep complex charcoal cream shimmer with a silvery grey glitter powder
  • Midnight Sea has a complex khaki/bronze/brown shimmer cream with an aqua teal glitter/powder

The cream in Naked Bronze reminds me of Spice, the peach in Golden Peach reminds me of Pink Haze and the cream in Midnight Sea reminds me of Spring 2015 Cream. I’m currently traveling so I don’t have my makeup stash with me to compare the creams, but once I return home I will update this post with comparison swatches of the creams.

Close ups of each color plus swatches of the shades individually, then layered:

I’ve played with each of the colors and am so impressed. Midnight Sea had me a little worried since I rarely wear blues or aquas but layering the teal on top of the deep brown shimmer creates a really interesting look. My favorites of course are Naked Bronze and Golden Peach – they add enough color to the lids to give your complexion a summery glow but aren’t over the top. As a neutral and conservative makeup lover, to say that I am afraid of glitter would be an understatement (I am almost anti-glitter). So for me to say that I really like these is huge. I think they are wearable for everyday although if you work in a conservative office environment you may want to go very light on the application of the powder shadows because the glittery is glitzy but not over the top (at least in my opinion).

Both Golden Peach and Black Oyster have held up really well in the Dallas humidity this week and I’m very impressed. If you’re a Tom Ford fan these are definitely must-haves even with the high price point. If you like color and want something new and different, these are worth looking into. 

You can find the Cream and Powder Eye Colors for $60 each. Online at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom (pre-order), Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue (pre-order) and Tom Ford (pre-order).

The Cream and Powder shadows were provided courtesy of Tom Ford for review consideration. Book featured from my own personal collection and was purchased by me. 

42 Comments
Base Makeup

Foundation Rotation for Spring

April 20, 2015

This time of year many of my readers have asked for foundation recommendations as they have mentioned they need something new in their beauty wardrobe as we transition to warmer spring weather. There seem to be quite a few new foundation releases and being curious, I stopped by my local Nordstrom to check out some of the latest formulas. Right now Nordstrom has a foundation guide online with filters to help you find the best formula for you by category. You can also filter your search by price points, brand and store availability if you want to try in store. The three main categories they have include:

1) coverage – sheer / medium / full
2) finish – luminous / matte / natural
3) skin type – aging / combination / dry / normal / oily

For coverage I prefer a medium to full finish because I don’t have perfect skin, although it’s improved significantly over the past year. For finish I tend to prefer something luminous but not too glowy as mattes tend to make my face look flat. On skin type, I am approaching my mid-30’s so anti-aging is something I am concerned with, but I prefer to look for anti-aging ingredients in skincare. Aside from aging concerns, my skin is combination and sensitive. I have a roundup of some foundations that I have in rotation right now along with thoughts on each one I’ve tested by coverage type. I would say all of these have a natural to luminous finish.

Full Coverage:
Laura Mercier Silk Creme Oil Free Foundation (I use Sand Beige)
Medium to Full Coverage:
NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation (I use Punjab, sometimes I mix in Santa Fe)
Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation (my match is Bisque 4)
Sheer to Medium Coverage:
NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer (Groenland)
Chanel CC Cream (30 Beige)
Sheer Coverage:
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer (Sand)
Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow (20 Beige and 30 Beige)

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Hands down, my current favorite formulas are from NARS. The All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation offers medium to full coverage with 2-3 pumps. It’s very concentrated so a little goes a long way and you need to shake the bottle before pumping out any product. I’ve found application works best by blending with fingers or a damp beauty blender. Having a good base for this is key. I really like the Dolce & Gabbana Primer or the NARS Pro Prime Radiance Enhancing Primers right now. For color I am closer to a NARS Punjab, but I tend to tan and lighten easily so I picked up Santa Fe to mix in for days when I feel slightly lighter.

The Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Groenland has been a long-time staple for me. I have Alaska to show below for comparisons, but my go-to shade for a long time has been Groenland. I like this because it’s not as rich as a traditional tinted moisturizer but has more of a lightweight foundation feel. It glides on the skin and covers in the most natural way melting into the skin. It gives the skin a radiant glow without looking too dewy or shiny. There is no shimmer in it but it still gives the face a  luminous look while offering an impressive amount of natural coverage. I like this set with the NARS Light Reflecting Loose Powder or Hourglass Diffused Light.

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Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation is my second favorite for a medium to full coverage foundation right now. It covers really well, lasts all day and photographs nicely without giving your face a white cast. Being that it gives a fuller coverage compared to other formulas, it isn’t as fluid or liquid as other formulas and feels slightly thick, but it doesn’t feel heavy on the face. It lasts all day long without many touch ups required and holds up in warmer weather nicely. It is on the pricey side but I’ve had nothing but good experiences with this one.
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Next up is Laura Mercier. The Tinted Moisturizer is a classic cult-favorite in her line but I have a love/hate relationship with this one. There have been shade extensions and although the formula is sheer and very forgiving, I feel that there are only certain times during the year when I can wear this. Spring to summer is one when I have more color and have a better color match to Sand. Due to the sheer coverage I find this is good only on the good-skin days. If you’re one who only needs a light base and something to even out the skin naturally, this is a really good one.

The latest from Laura Mercier is her Silk Creme reformulations in the Oil Free and Moisturizing formulas. I tried the Oil Free at the counter since I just used up the Flawless Fluide in Honey (which a lot thinner in texture and quite fluid). For the Silk Creme, I am in between shades but the nice thing about the Silk Creme Oil Free is that it adjusts and warms up on the skin without oxidizing. These new formulas are designed to be “Photo Ready” that have a natural matte finish that is long-wearing. I found the Oil Free to be full coverage on my skin. It’s ultra concentrated and a bit on the thick side but a tiny bit goes a very long way and you don’t need a lot. I didn’t quite see a matte finish, on me it looked a bit dewy but it did last a remarkably long time (with powder to set of course) without budging or fading. The texture does feel a bit heavier than others so you will need to experiment with application. I decided on Sand Beige for now (it has a lot of olive), although I will probably need Cashew Beige (more golden) in the summer.

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Swatches Set 1 with NARS, Tom Ford and Laura Mercier:

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Chanel has some new shades of the CC Cream out this season (finally!). The formula originally came in two of the lighter colors in the US. This spring/summer they’ve added 30 Beige and 40 Beige. The color selection is still extremely limited so I am thrilled I was able to find a match to the 30 Beige. The Chanel CC Cream is something that offers medium but buildable coverage and contains SPF 50. It is on the semi-thick side like many CC Creams but it’s still has a lightweight feel. It’s very hydrating but not too moisturizing which is perfect for my normal/combination skin. If you have normal to dry skin and found that the NARS foundations weren’t moisturizing enough, I highly recommend you try the Chanel CC Creams – it offers a fresh glow with medium natural coverage that makes the complexion look healthy. I’ve swatched all three shade options below and compared it to other Chanel formulas as well.

Another favorite for me this time of year is the Chanel Les Beiges All-In-One Healthy Glow Fluid. This one has been listed as limited-edition since it launched last year so I’m surprised it is still available. This is a glow fluid tinted foundation that has a tinted moisturizer feel. It comes with SPF 15 and has a more lightweight texture compared to the CC Cream. It’s also sheerer in finish making it more forgiving in terms of color match, but they are all on the pinkish side. I am a 20 Beige right now, but I also own the 30 Beige and mix the two occasionally depending on my skin tone. Below are swatches of all the Les Beiges foundations (they skipped shade 50 for some reason). Also included are the Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet foundations I’ve used in 20 Beige and 30 Beige.
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Swatches Set 2:

When it comes to base makeup, I’m not particularly adventurous in trying new brands. I usually stick to the ones I like and look for new releases because of formulas, color selection and texture. I have a lot of olive and yellow in my skin so many foundations turn pinkish on me. MAC and Bobbi Brown have really good color selections but I can’t wear the formulas (they irritate my skin with tiny red bumps). Armani has really good formulas but these days they often have a gap in color options and usually are missing my shade. 

Recap of what I have in rotation below (you can click the icons to shop the formulas):


If you’re in search of a new foundation I hope you found this roundup helpful. Out of all the formulas my top three picks are the NARS All Day Weightless Luminous, NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer and the Chanel CC Cream (because I’m a huge Chanel foundation fan).

Do you have a favorite go-to foundation right now or do you switch things up this time of year?

This post was sponsored by Nordstrom. As always all opinions my own. All items purchased by me. For more information, refer to my disclosures.

36 Comments
Tom Ford Beauty

Tom Ford Spring 2015 Nail Lacquers: Indigo Night + Black Jade

April 8, 2015

This season Tom Ford Beauty has two new nail polishes that are quite edgy and unique for spring. The two Nail Lacquers in the spring collection are Indigo Night and Black Jade ($32 each), both have opaque full coverage with two coats and apply very smoothly on the nail. It took me a while to cave on these because I normally don’t wear greens on the nails and I already own quite a few navy shimmer polishes, but after swatching these I am glad I did buy both.

Black Jade is a deep complex green color. There is quite a bit of color mixed into the bottle making it quite unique and dramatic on the fingers. This one is quite dark so it almost looks black on the nails with a hint of forest green and shimmer if your hands are in natural light. This particular color was sold out at the counters near me, I was glad to have found it online at Neimans before it sold out. Right now it’s still available at Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s.

Indigo Night is actually my favorite of the two. Even though I think a navy blue shimmer is something that is quite standard in many beauty lines, this one is particularly stunning. It has a brightness to the blue with some iridescence to it so it’s not as deep as others. In natural light you can see that it’s definitely a blue color but at the same time very deep. With this one the first coat will appear a bit sheer and see-thru but it smooths out completely to a full flawless finish with the second coat.

Both colors are very different from what you usually see in the traditional spring color palette, but I like them both. The colors are sharp and edgy without being over the top making them very wearable for me. For reference, Color Me Loud has comparison swatches (my nail wheels are currently MIA). For other Tom Ford Beauty spring features, my review on the Eye Color Duos here and Spring Cream Shadow here. I give the nail polishes a thumbs up although I have to say previews of the Summer collection have my heart racing and it can’t arrive soon enough (I’ve been stalking it online).

The Tom Ford Spring 2015 Collection is available now, while supplies last. I’ve been told at the counters the nail polishes are limited-edition, but I’m not 100% sure. Black Jade is still available at Nordstrom and Bloomingdales. Indigo Night is still relatively easy to track down also at Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Tom Ford.
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