February flew by so quickly, I cannot believe it’s March but I’m excited for spring. I’ve been working my way through swatching all of the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks and hope to have the post up by the end of the week (fingers crossed my lips can handle the swatching). A few of you have asked for a review of my Celine mini belt bags (seen here and here) – I haven’t really done purse or accessory reviews but will definitely do one on both in the upcoming weeks so stay tuned!
Here’s a peek of what I have in my bag right now. I’ve been loving my Prada Saffiano still – I think I’ve had it going on 2.5+ years now and it’s held it’s shape remarkably well, hasn’t shown any signs of wear or scratches and is extremely versatile for a number of different occasions and outfits. I’ve had my eye on the Saffiano Cuir Double Bag in black ever since I saw that they started carrying a small one on Extra Petite. She has a really good review and comparison (although my camel tote is a different style and has different dimensions compared to hers). It takes me months to decide on a splurge – I’ve been looking for a classic black leather tote for a long time, but cannot make up my mind because size and structure is really important to me.
For spring YSL has launched two limited-edition La Lacquer Couture Nail Lacquers in Love Pink and Peace Green ($27 each). I ordered these as soon as they popped up online directly from YSL but they appear to be sold out everywhere now, at least online. I never saw these at counters – I’m not sure if they sold out, never arrived or haven’t launched yet in stores. If you’re interested in either shade, I suggest you try calling your local counters to see if they have any sooner than later. Update: thanks to my Cathy for letting me know they are now available online at Nordstrom!
Both are iridescent shimmers with medium coverage. Two coats offers smooth coverage but with a slightly transparent quality. I preferred three coats for both of the shades. They are both duo chrome in the bottles. Love Pink flashes a little bit of green and Peace Green flashes a little bit of opal pink. On the nails the shimmer is more subtle. These have a milky kind of sheen and shimmer and the duo chrome quality is very subtle. I love aqua colors for the nails but often times feel like they look so un-natural on my olive skin tone. Peace Green is soft enough that it doesn’t look sharp. Sometimes greens + my olive skin just doesn’t look good together. Peace Green has a softness that makes it pretty wearable, even for me.
I haven’t been able to test these for lasting power since I’m in the midst of swatching and shooting some photos for nail polishes. In my past experience with YSL nail polishes, lasting power is very good (at least 5 days without tip wear and no chipping). The brush and formula are really good – there is a noticeable difference in application, pigment and shine to me to justify the high price of these over other brands like Zoya, Essie or OPI but that’s just my personal take.
Onto the swatches. The duochrome is very subtle so I took several photos to try and capture the dimension of the shimmer. It was a bit difficult since the blend of shimmers in these meld together into a milky kind of sheen. Love Pink is a really pretty soft pink shimmer.
Sometimes I like matching nails to accessories. Do you do this too? Shown with 3 coats:
Indoor natural light, no flash:
In direct sunlight with flash:
Peace Green, shown below with three coats:
In sunlight with flash:
Indoor, natural light, no flash:
I think both are really pretty soft pastels for spring. The shimmer makes these really unique with the milky kind of blurred shimmer effect. It gives them a soft sheen that I don’t see in many other shimmer polishes. I’m not really familiar with the launch dates of the YSL collections so even though these are sold out online, it’s possible they might still be available at counters and stores. If you’ve spotted the collection – please let us all know in the comments.
Both Love Pink and Peace Green are limited-edition shades. If you’ve been eyeing these I hope you can find them somewhere! Available right now online at Nordstrom.
This spring YSL has launched two new Glossy Stains ($36 each) in Tangerine Boho and Rose Folk. Both are warm-toned glossy tints. I couldn’t find these anywhere at counters near me so I ordered these online sight unseen. The colors are warmer than I anticipated but offer a medium to bright wash of coral to the lips that will brighten the complexion. I’m a huge fan of many of the YSL Glossy Stains (in particular the Pop Water colors). These are different from your normal lip stain because they don’t dry out my lips and remain glossy once dry.
Love Pink nail lacquer (available for pre-order at Saks)
Tangerine Boho is a warm bright coral red. Rose Folk is a few shades lighter but runs peachy on me (instead of a pink like the name rose implies). Your mileage may vary depending on your lip tone – these pull very warm on me but have a slight transparent quality which allows the lip to show through slightly. These are slightly scented with a pleasant sweet fragrance but it’s subtle and not overpowering.
In case you’re new to this formula, the tips are beveled for easy application:
Swatch comparisons:
YSL Pop Water Glossy Stains in Wet Nude, Juicy Peach, Eau de Corail (swatched here)
Tom Ford Lip Color in Twist of Fate (review here)
Tom Ford Bare Peach (reviewed here)
MAC Huggable Glass in Such a Sweetheart and Cool & Cute (reviewed here)
If you already own some of the other Pop Water Glossy stains I think you can probably skip these two. Tangerine Boho is a redder version of Juicy Peach and more red version of Onde Rose. Rose Folk is a slightly deeper version of Wet Nude and lighter than Eau de Corail. I do think they are both lovely – although these are from the spring collection, they have more of a summery vibe.
I’m drawn more towards Rose Folk (the lighter option) as I love a good peachy color. I do think it pulls more peach than rose, but if you’ve seen/tested these in person, I’d love to hear your take on these as well.
It’s only the first week of the year and even though I’ve tried to clean out some of my purses and reorganize, I’ve already accumulated way too much in my makeup bag. I just emptied it this morning and counted 12 lip items … wait no, 13 eek! Everytime I go out with my husband, he’s always asking what it is that I’m lugging around and if I really need to carry all this stuff. Of course I don’t, but I still do. Here’s a peek at what’s inside my makeup bag which is the Truffle Clarity Clutch Small in Nude. Some will be reviewed on the blog very soon.
I’ll say now that the Dior Lip Glow in Lilac is way better than the Pink one (which turns fuchsia on my lips sometimes). I ordered all the Too Faced Melted Lipsticks from the chocolate launch because how can one resist anything chocolate? There are hits and misses with the colors – I’ll be editing swatches to upload later this week (my husband said one of the colors looked absolutely hideous on me). I pulled out my Tisse Rivoli eyeshadow quad recently – it is one of my favorite neutrals in quad form but I misplaced it and couldn’t find it for months (I had put the compact in my blush drawer which is why I couldn’t find it with all the other eyeshadow compacts). My goal for the new year is to find some more makeup organization solutions. I’ve been using Muji Acrylic organizers and drawers, but I need something bigger with taller drawers – any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. There are a number of options out there I’ve been researching – I’ve been making notes on dimensions and picing, it’s kinda overwhelming to sort out!
What’s in your makeup bag this week? If you keep your makeup contents to a minimum, how do you edit/organize what you carry?
Is it too early for spring beauty yet? For those looking forward, there is a lot on the horizon for spring that focuses on fresh and glowing beauty. I’ve already spotted sneak peeks of new foundation releases from Chanel, Laura Mercier, YSL, Armani, NARS to name a few – all to be launching soon. For now, here’s a roundup of new beauty launches on my radar that you can purchase right now if you need instant gratification. I placed a large order a couple days ago for some Dior spring items and also picked up a few pieces from Chanel spring. I’ll be testing them in the next week and have swatches as soon as I can.
Chanel Collection L.A. Sunrise for spring 2016 has started to trickle in stores and is now live on Chanel.com, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. It has a brighter feel than what I normally go for, but I love that everything is lively and colorful. What I picked up (reviews + swatches soon):
Charlotte Tilbury Magic just launched the Magic Skin Trilogy with two new additions to her Magic Line. I’m a huge fan of her Magic Cream ($100) and couldn’t be more thrilled to see it available now in the Magic Night Cream ($145) and Magic Eye Rescue Cream ($60). I’ve been testing both of the new items for 3 days now, will have a report back after a few more days but I can say now that the Magic Night Cream is phenomenal – I wake up with glowing skin. (Also available in a Magic Skin Trilogy Set for $285.)
Bobbi Brown Extra Lip Tint ($33) launched a few weeks ago. I went to two counters to see if they had it in stock and both had sold out so I ordered it online. I’m excited to see how it compares to the ones from Clarins and Dior.
Dior has a couple spring launches, one is a Lip Glow collection which features the Addict Lip Glow Color Reviver Lip Balm ($33) in Lilac. As a fan of the pink and coral, I’m really excited to see how this one wears.
Dior Glowing Gardens for Spring has light and airy colors with powders ebossed with gorgeous floral designs. The Diorskin Nude Air Illuminating Powders ($58) in Glowing Pink and Glowing Nude look so pretty. There are two Eyeshadow Palettes in Blue Garden and Rose Garden ($63 each) but as one who rarely wears aqua or green eyeshadow, I will need to test before splurging.
Henri Bendel Champagne Candle ($30), need I say more? My local store was sold out but had one burning in-store. It smells amazingly fresh.
My wishlist is already a mile long. I will need to do some sorting, thinking and prioritizing before splurging. What’s on your radar for the upcoming spring beauty season?
Today I’ve rounded up nine of my favorite rosy tinted lip balms for the holiday season coming ahead. Many of you loved last year’s roundup on holiday reds for lips and nails. This year’s version is for the neutral lip lover who is afraid to wear bold reds on the lips but wants to try something with some color. If you’re like me and almost always wears neutral colors on the lips, tinted lip balms, treatments and oils offer sheerer coverage and are more natural looking. I have a mix of pink and reds in a number of different formulas. If you’re looking for a good double-duty lip product that offers tint and hydration, I hope this guide will help you find a new one this month.
Below are a mix of potted balms, wand/gloss-like balms, squeeze tubes and twist up sticks. All of these offer a glossy sheen. As usual with most balms, lasting power will not be the same as with lipsticks, but this means that they fade more naturally. Oils often come with a stain built in so there is the hydration aspect but the color will stain the lips and last longer throughout the day. Several of these have been reviewed in depth before. I’ll link previous reviews.
Shown from left to right:
By Terry Baume de Rose Nutri-Couleur in Bloom Berry ($56, review) is one of the most expensive lip products I own. Splurging on the regular Baume de Rose made a big dent in my wallet and once the tinted versions launched an even bigger dent was made. This is a super lush thick rose-scented balm. Bloom Berry is my holy grail red lip balm because it for me it’s the perfect shade of berry red. The pot is really large so it will last a long time. I’ve had mine for over a year, there’s still a lot left and it hasn’t gone bad yet.
By Terry Baume de Rose Nutri-Couleur Cherry Bomb ($89 for set of 5, review) comes in the full-sized pot, but I have it from a holiday set (both the pot and wand are identical in color). For those who want a brighter cherry red, this one is a lovely color that is bright but not too bright. It will give your lips a natural flushed look.
Hourglass No. 28 Tinted Lip Treatment Oil in Icon ($42) is the latest from Hourglass Cosmetics. If you’ve tried the original clear lip oil, you are probably aware of how luxurious, hydrating and amazing the formula is. It has anti-aging ingredients and oils to hydrate, condition and soften the lips while reducing wrinkles. The packaging is truly unique with a press-pump dispenser and a gold tip cap. Icon is a sheer glossy see-through red. It’s truly luxurious and gives the lips a healthy glow. Pigment is sheer but noticeable. It does fade to a natural shine throughout the day. Out of all the lip treatments this one feels the most hydrating on my lips.
Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask in Smashed ($26, review) is a classic lip treatment that works wonders as a lip treatment. As a tint this is one of the sheerest and lightest in pigment so if you’re super timid with color, this one offers a very natural wash of color. If you’ve tried the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Masks you are probably familiar with the thick but lush hydrating formula. It offers a veil of moisture that is really good for dry lips.
Fresh Sugar Shine Lip Treatment in Cherry ($18.50, review) is a tinted lip treatment that is a classic red cherry color. It has high shine and comes in a tube with a sponge tip applicator. These also come in the twist up stick form. The stick has more pigment while the tube is sheerer but offers more shine. If you have super dry lips, you may find the color from the tube will settle into lines. The color is a vibrant cherry red but is sheer so it’s not in-your-face bright.
Burberry First Kiss Gloss Lip Balm in Rose Blush ($26) is a newer lip product from Burberry. I wanted the Crushed Red color but it’s been sold out at my local Sephora (I need to just order it online already). I have a couple of these lip balms sight unseen. Part of me was expecting to be disappointed because I thought they would be basic and sheer. The other part of me had high hopes because I’m a fan of their lip products. These lip balms are really amazing. They offer enough color to show up on the lips and also have an amazingly smooth feel. There’s slip but it’s not greasy. I’m head over heels in love. It’s also scent-free.
Clarins Instant Light Lip Balm Perfector in Red ($25, review) is my favorite stick balm formula. You can read the full review with swatches of all the shade options linked above. The only downside is the size and price. They are on the small side which makes them pricey. The formula can’t be beat though.
bareMinerals Pop of Passion Lip Oil Balm in Punch Pop ($16) is a twist up stick balm oil treatment. If you’ve tried other traditional tinted lip oils you may have been disappointed with the color payoff (I know I have). The oils in stick form from bareMinerals offer more pigment. They swatch sheer on the hands but the texture of the lips really picks up the color. The ones I tested have a slight stain in the pigment as well which makes the color last longer than most balms. The formula is plush and also unscented. I give these a thumbs up for pigment and coverage.
YSL Volupté Sheer Candy in 04 Succulent Pomegranate ($36) is a pinkish fuchsia color that’s soft and sheer. I’m beyond obsessed with the Volupté Sheer Candy formula although for most it is either a hit or miss. If you want a super lush balmy feel with a glossy shine, these are among my favorite sheer lipsticks that offer hydration. They are scented like grapefruits or mangos (to me it smells like a mix of both) but it’s not overly sweet and they also taste good.
Swatched below in the same order:
Swatched on the lips:
My top picks:
By Terry Baume de Rose Bloom Berry for the best color
Hourglass Lip Oil in Icon for the most hydrating feel
Clarins Instant Light Lip Balm Perfector and YSL for the best texture
If you’re a neutral lip lover who is curious about rosy colors for the lips but want something a little more natural than the traditional bold red lipstick, I hope you found this roundup helpful! Do you have a favorite tinted lip balm or treatment?
Press samples featured in this post include items from Clarins, Hourglass and Bare Minerals. All others purchased by me.
Today I have a roundup of concealers I’ve been putting to the test. It’s been a year since I last did a concealer rotation. Since my summer trip to Europe back in June I’ve gotten a few shades darker than normal so my go-to favorites Clé de Peau Beauté in Almond and NARS Ginger no longer matched my skin. Several months ago one of my friends asked me about my favorite concealers which include Clé de Peau Beauté, NARS and Edward Bess. Those three brands also happen to be her favorites but she wanted to try something new and so began my hunt for something new that would perform as well if not better than my tried and true. This post has been several months in the making. It took me weeks of testing and swatching with several trips to the counter to find matches. Finding a shade can be tricky depending on what you want to conceal. Also some oxidize in color so a swatch of color that is an exact match might turn out to be too dark after it sets.
I put five new-to-me concealers to the test from Charlotte Tilbury, Bare Minerals, Urban Decay, Make Up For Ever and Chanel. In addition I’ve added a feature on the Surratt Surreal Skin Concealer (I bought this last spring but never reviewed it) and I’ve included the Clé de Peau Beauté and YSL Touche Éclat for swatches in the roundup. Most brands have more than one type of concealer formula. I looked for ones with a creamy texture that blended easily on the skin without emphasizing lines. I prefer medium to full coverage with a smooth looking finish. Ideally I would like something with 100% full coverage but finding an exact match is tricky and I often find full coverage concealers too thick.
Below from left to right:
Surratt Beauty Surreal Skin Concealer ($50 for 0.06 oz) in #5 is the most expensive concealer I’ve tried in the per oz sense. It comes in a twist up stick form and has sheer to medium coverage. I found 5 to be a good match but the coverage is minimal and texture is on the dry side. If you have oily skin or find that you only need a tiny bit of brightening/coverage this one is good, but I wasn’t thrilled with it. I will use it to the end though.
Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer ($70 for 5 g/.17 oz) in Almond is one of my all time favorite concealers. It’s extremely pricey but well worth the splurge. It covers under the eye really well, doesn’t cake, lasts all day and blends really well. The trick is to warm it up with the fingers to apply. If you apply it cold and straight from the tube, it can look thick. A little goes a long way and my tube has lasted forever without going bad (one lasted 2 years).
Charlotte Tilbury The Retoucher Conceal and Treat Stick ($35 for 3.5 ml/0.12 fl oz) in #3 is a new concealer to me. It’s one that’s been on my radar for a long time but I’m usually not a fan of click-type brushes because they seem so unsanitary to me. This is my new favorite. It conceals and brightens dark circles like magic. It blends into a creamy smooth finish. It stays put although you do need to set with powder. It works wonders on spots as well. This has a skincare element to hydrate and plump the skin. I’m in love.
YSL Touche Éclat Radiant Touch Concealer ($42 for 0.1 oz) in 5.5 is a classic I’ve been using on and off. I found it worked under the eyes to brighten and conceal but in a very natural minimal way. Coverage is sheer to medium. If you don’t have a lot you need to cover under the eyes and need just a tad of brightening this is good. For me as I get older I find I need and prefer more coverage (I’m 34 right now). For spot coverage this doesn’t do much.
Bare Minerals bareSkin Concealer ($20 for 6 ml/0.20 fl oz) in Medium-Golden and Tan were both pleasant surprises. I say they surprised me because the color range look liked it skipped my match. Medium-Golden is my current match for under eyes. It covers smoothly and has a thinner texture making it feel truly weightless. Under the eyes it makes the skin look smooth. There’s no caking or emphasizing of lines. It is on the creamy side so if you have super oily skin it might be too dewy for you. It has a slight glow without looking too glowy that makes the face look younger with brightness. It held up well in the high 80 degree heat for me (I set it with Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powder).
Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer ($28 for 5 ml/0.16 fl oz) in Medium Neutral and Med-Dark Warm is something that is raved about by so many. I was matched in store to Med-Dark Warm. It’s one that is a perfect match on my skin but darkens after 5 minutes. In store I tried both the Medium Neutral and Med-Dark Warm, one on each side. The artist who matched me said she thought the darker one was better. I’m actually in between shades for under eyes. I prefer the lighter option for the eye area and the darker one for spot cover. Texture is thin but creamy. It lasts all day without caking, creasing, fading or drying out. I would say the color selection is pretty limited and the colors do oxidize. If you can test this in store – see how it wears throughout the day before picking a color.
Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer ($32 for 15 ml/0.5 fl oz) in 7 and 8 are two shades I picked up from Sephora. I also tested these, one on each side. The artist said she thought 8 was better. The product does darken slightly, but not as much as the Urban Decay. I bought 8 originally and asked my husband what he thought. He thought it looked like an exact match but I felt it made my face look sallow and tired (for under eyes). I ordered 7 which I found to be better for under the eyes and which will be a good match for other areas as I lose my tan. 8 works perfectly for spot coverage. If you want something that covers spots really well and looks seamless by blending into the skin this one is really quite amazing.
Chanel Correcteur Perfection Concealer ($42 for 7.5 g/0.26 oz) in 30 Beige is something I gave a try recently. Chanel concealers seem to have gone through several reformulations over the years. I’ve never really been a huge fan but it’s mainly because I’m always matched to colors that are way too pale for what I should be wearing. I know everyone has their own take on how to match concealer, but I really don’t like having my under eye area 2-3 shades lighter than the rest of my face. In this case I’m again, in between shades. I bought 30 although I really should have passed on this one. The consistency and coverage is really good. Right now 30 is just the slightest bit too dark for under eyes but 20 is definitely too light.
Swatched side by side:
I spent hours researching concealer shades and swatches before going to the counter. Even if a makeup artist offers to match me, I still like to test multiple shades to see how they compare. Half the time I’m mis-matched and researching swatches ahead of time helps me know what to look for. I was able to swatch most of the shades side by side for reference. The only line I skipped was Make Up For Ever because the 3 stores I went to each were missing testers of multiple shades.
Surratt Beauty concealers come in a small twist up tube, there are currently eight shades, each color has a number as the name:
Cle de Peau Beaute comes in a twist-up tube, there are currently 6 shades:
Charlotte Tilbury The Retoucher comes in a brush wand style, you twist the base to click up product (similar to Stila Lip Glazes), there are 10 shades available:
YSL Touche Eclat (unit was missing 1.5) comes with a brush tip that dispenses product when you push the base, there are 10 shades available at Sephora. Some other retailers also have shade #6. The colors swatched side by side seem odd because they don’t appear to go from lightest to darkest. Even after doing a lot of research, making sense of the options, colors and undertones can still be confusing. I took a photo of the display and double checked each pen to make sure they were in the correct slot before swatching in numerical order:
Bare Mienrals bareSkin Concealer comes in a wand with a sponge tip applicator, there are six colors currently available:
Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer comes with a sponge tip applicator in a tube, there are eight shades available, I like that they have neutral and warm options in some of the shades:
Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer comes in a squeeze tube, the formula is really concentrated so a little goes a long way, unfortunately none of the stores I visited had testers of all the colors so I wasn’t able to swatch all the shades. There are 12 shades available, but they some skip numbers, it goes from 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 18 to 20.
Chanel Correcteur Perfection comes in a long tube with a sponge tip applicator. This one wins for the prettiest packaging, there are six shades available:
In testing a number of different brands of concealer I have indeed found a few new favorites. To sum up my thoughts:
My top two favorites for under eye are the Charlotte Tilbury Retoucher and Bare Minerals bareSkin concealers, they brighten the face, cover dark circles really well and both last all day on me
Best spot cover product is the Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer
Urban Decay Naked Skin wins for best multi-purpose concealer, but shades darken/oxidize and color selection is pretty limited
Surratt Beauty was the most disappointing for me, mainly because it didn’t have the coverage I was looking for and texture is on the dry side
Chanel would win if the color selection was more diverse (I’m in between shades, and based on my swatches I suspect many of you will fall in between shades or outside of the range completely)
If I had to recommend you check out only one, the Charlotte Tilbury wins for new ones that I’ve tested, but my heart still belongs to Cle de Peau Beaute. The NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer is still a formula that I really like for under the eye and spot treatment, but after looking at all the colors I found the next shades up from Ginger to be either too pink or too dark. (Café Makeup has an amazing post with swatches of all the NARS concealer shades swatched here.)
In case you’re new to any of these brands, I’ve listed some of the retailers where you can find the following brands:
What’s your go-to concealer right now? As always I would love to hear about your favorites or what you’ve been testing right now. Do you use the same for under eye and spots? Or do you have different colors/brands you use?
The Bare Minerals concealers were provided as press samples for review consideration.
