L'Occitane Roses et Reines

Things look extra rosy on July 30th. That's when L'Occitane's newest rose scent launches, Roses et Reines.   You may recall the previous Roses 4 Reines. This is the same with a new name .

As a rose lover, I'm naturally inclined to love this, but even the Dad thought it smelled lovely and he's not exactly a rose guy.

Roses et Reines combines four rose  varieties from Grasse, Bulgaria, Morocco and Turkey.  All the best roses , basically, extracted using a new variation on the traditional enfleurage method.

The scent is light and obviously very rose, but also has hints of citrus and blackberry with  musk  at the drydown . It's easy to wear, soft  and seasonless. It will work now as well as when the temperatures drop.

Roses et Reines comes in a full complement of products including the iconic L'Occitane shea hand cream, EDT , Solid Perfume, Body Milk , Soap , Bath Gel  and more.

Prices range from $ 8 for the Extra Gentle Soap to $ 25 for The Beautifying Body Milk .

All at http://usa.loccitane.com/

Stila Eyes Are The Window Shadow Palettes- Fall 2014

Body

On August 1st, Stila Fall lands . Included are four new eyeshadow palettes with 

 12 shadows in each. 

SOUL- Features 12 matte & shimmer shadows in a range of

wearable neutrals.

MIND- Features 12 modern matte eyeshadows

BODY-Features 12 colorful jewel inspired shades

SPIRIT- Features 12 of Stila’s original, iconic shades over the last 20 years

Soul

Mind

Spirit

My Melt Proof Summer Staples

It's in the 90s again today. You know, the melting heat that makes your lipstick suddenly feel like you have gloss on instead?

High temps, oil and sweat work against keeping that makeup on but  I have worked and tested to find hot weather staples that go the distance against melting heat. Since I have even more melt than most people, these really made the grade.  (Links to  previous reviews included if applicable.)


Lips-  Hourglass Aura Lip Stain-   Unlike a lot of lip stains this doesn't feel dry  on lips and  isn't  sheer. It also doesn't melt in the heat . With medium pigment and a waterlight feel it lasts longer than gloss and leaves no sticky mess behind when it does begin to wear off.

Foundation - Many might skip foundation  in  the heat.  I'm not one of them. I want a base and need it to help keep the oil at bay .  Ones that are the most meltproof, with the least wear off have been Shiseido's  UV Protection Liquid ,  Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder  and Cover Girl's new Ready ,Set Gorgeous, which says it is humidity resistant and has really surprised me with  how well it holds up.


Waterproof Mascara- When the humidity and dewpoint skyrocket , mascara goes down, down your eyes that is. Keep those lashes strong with a waterproof, budge proof mascara. The ones that work best for me ? MAC Extended Play ,   Cover Girl Last Blast Fusion Waterproof and  Clinique's new Lash Power Feathering

Eyes- Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow -  These long wear creams  are  a saver in Summer. Easy to apply  and long lasting, grab a  beige or golden shade for a wash of color  that even if it does wear off, doesn't leave behind a streaky mess. MAC's Paint Pots also do really well.

Cheeks-  The  NARS Mulitple -Creams are easier to apply to sticky skin without streaks but many , at least on me , are too creamy and fade fast. The Multiple dries to a powdery finish  but it's still easy to blend.  My fav shades ? Puerta Vallarta and South Beach.

Amarte Aqua Lotion & Aqua Cream

 Having really liked previous offerings from Amarte, I was happy to try out their newest, ready for hot weather, lightweight  products Aqua Cream & Aqua Lotion.

When it's hot I , and probably you, don't want to put thick creams on my face. If you have very dry skin you kind of have to , but for those us with oily, or normal skin, lightweight formulas are a great option.

Amarte packs plenty of skincare into their products  , and these two new ones are especially good for brightening.

Aqua Lotion is thin but not runny and is water based.  It's nicely hydrating with argan oil, glycerin and allantoin  but feels very refreshing on skin and sinks in fast  with a barely there feel. It has natural arbutin for lightening  as well as antioxidants .  It's been a  perfect Summer choice to keep skin in shape without heaviness, and can be used day and night.

Aqua Cream has 1% retinol in addition to many of the ingredients mentioned in Aqua Lotion.  This helps  even skintone and smooth , making it a good nighttime companion to the Aqua Lotion.  It is a thicker cream , but still not  heavy or greasy.

Amarte Aqua Lotion is $ 75
Amarte Aqua Cream is $ 93

Available at www.amarteskincare.com