Dior Couture Smoky Eye Palette- Holiday 2014

Time for a peek at Dior Holiday. One of the new  palettes from the Golden Tie Gift Set Collection  is the Couture Smoky Eye Palette. 


The palette features four shades to make a fab deep brown smoky eye look . The case is all black with bow accent and looks very elegant and luxe. A showstopping gift , don't you think ? 


Dior Couture Smoky Eye Palette is $55 . The full line will be available in October along with Golden Shock Holiday Color Collection.

MAC Rocky Horror Riff Raff Eye Palette

Whether you're a Rocky Horror fan or not, the Riff Raff  eye palette should catch your eye. It's the star piece of the collection.

Riff Raff is a very cohesive palette , all the shades work well togther for a number of looks. Not to mention the colorings are perfect for Fall/Winter.

Two shades are new, along with two that are in the permanent line , a currently dc'd one and a repromote.

The six shades included are :

Oh Rocky !!! (new , soft white with pearl frost)
Graphic Style ( deep silver veluxe pearl)
Crystal ( violet duo chorme with pearl frost)
Blackberry (muted burgundy-plum brown matte)
Carbon Black (intense black matte)
Heavy Black and Pendulous (new,greyish blue with pearl frost)

MAC Rocky Horror Riff Raff Palette  is $44 and the collection hits counters Oct. 2.

Emily & Tony Down Under Comfort

Wondering what Emily & Tony " Down Under Comfort " is ? It's a new product to help keep sweat at bay.

Not a deodorant, but somewhat like one, this cream  can be applied anywhere you sweat, including more intimate areas , on your back, bottoms of feet.  It's lightweight and dries to a powder like feel with very little scent.

I wish I had this  beginning  in June, but it's still warm at times in September for me and this works pretty well.   I definitely noticed less sweaty stickiness when I tried this  and felt more comfortable.  It will also work for areas that might chafe to help control that as well . With no parabens, aluminum, silicone or talc and being vegan this is far better than applying  antiperspirant all over. That's kind of yuck . It can also be applied on areas that are already super sweaty to hep absorb some.  It uses tapioca to absorb sweat and witch hazel to close pores.

So whether you're in warm temps, hit the gym regularly or  run,  Down Under Comfort is a good accompaniment .

Emily & Tony Down Under Comfort is $18, and available online at EmilyandTony.com

Bottega Veneta The Knot

Just in time for cooler temps and Autumn breezes comes Bottega Veneta's newest fragrance, The Knot.

The Knot is a very soft , clean scent , almost a skin scent , making it a nice choice on  sweater days when it will weave itself into the fabric.

It has a camphor like note at the beginning which can happen with Neroli. The Knot doesn't have the sweet white floral version of the flower.  Then as it develops   there is a  very dry  lavender . Soon light florals of peony came along and  as it dries down the cedarwood is there along with hints of the tonka but it's all very light.

 At  first sniff this was not to my taste but by the drydown ( 10-15 minutes)  we were getting somewhere. The Knot then has a  sweet softness with the tonka and the  peony, a note I really like,  mixing  together in a light but elegant scent.

Bottega Veneta The Knot is  currently exclusive to Neiman Marcus. In September it will roll out to more retailers like Nordstrom.

1 oz EDP $ 90
1.7 oz EDP $ 125
Body products  and shower gel also available.

Full note list:
Top: Mandarin, Neroli, Lavender

Mid: Rose, Peony

Base: Cedar Wood, Musk, Tonka Bean

Tarte Away Oui Go Portable Palette & Collector's Set -Holiday 2014

 How fun is the Away Oui Go  holiday set from Tarte? I'm pretty sure the hardest part of giving this as a gift will be the actual giving. You might want to keep it for yourself.   This falls onto the easy gifting list, who wouldn't love it ?

The case has 4 separate palettes each with four  eyeshadows and one blush.  Each eyeshadow has a French inspired name like Eiffel Tower Engagement or Marvel at The Mona Lisa. Each palette has both matte and shimmer shades.
 A quilted holder is at the ready to carry whichever of the interchangeable palettes you choose for the day , week or getaway.   Each one would make great, easy vacation makeup .

Also included in the set are 3  deluxe size Maracuja Lipglosses  in Paris, Nice and Cannes  and a deluxe size Lights, Camera,  Lashes 4 in 1 mascara.

 All together there are 16 Amazonian Clay Eyeshadows, 4 Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blushes  in the set.

(And please ignore the big gash in the one shadow. My long nail hit it when I was removing the plastic covering. The palettes aren't stuck tight and come out super easy. )

Tarte Away Oui Go Set is part of Tarte's  really good Holiday 2014 gift line  and is $ 48, exclusively at Ulta.

Clarisonic Sonic Radiance Brightening Solution

Ready to brighten ? I am.

Clarisonic has entered the  brightening and the leave on skincare categories with their new  Sonic Radiance Brightening Solution . The system has a Radiance brush head ,  two cleansers, and one serum. It's a powerful punch  to get glowing skin.

The two cleansers are for AM & PM.  AM is Skin Illuminating Cleanser , a creamy cleansing milk with licorice.   The PM cleanser is Skin Renewing Peel Wash, a stronger formula than AM using LHA,  an acid derived from salicylic acid along with glycolic acid.

After cleansing , you use the Brightening Activator Serum, with ellagic acid and phenylethyl resorcinol to tackle discoloration  and texture.

I've been using the system for about a week and am really liking the results. I have some small hyperpigmented areas and I am always trying to lighten them. Overall my skin has more clarity and the darker spots seem to have gotten a bit better. It's not a significant change in them  but in a week I think that's a  good result.

My skin is also really smooth after each PM wash. That's as much to do with the glycolic cleanser as the Aria . Those acids really do the job when it comes to smoothing .

The Clarisonic Radiance Brightening Solution is $ 249.

The cleansers , serum and brush can all be bought separately as well .

Lancome Nude Miracle Foundation

 

It's a good time to be a foundation fan. The past couple months have seen a wealth of new launches  , none more so than in the fluid foundation category.

New from Lancome is Nude Miracle.   They define it as a liquid to powder  makeup with a weightless feel and  that describes it really well.

The foundation is a thin but not runny thin liquid that applies and blends so easily. ( I use fingers not the attached wand). It sets to a semi matte finish. It's not quite totally matte  and isn't dry looking or feeling on skin .  The formula has a slicker feel than a  true matte and I did notice  in the ingredients that this isn't  oil free.  Rosa canina fruit  oil is listed about midway down the ingredient list.  

The foundation is  not in any way oily or dewy but I thought that needed mentioning. This is a good choice for oily skins  and I found that it kept the oil at bay pretty well except in the T Zone after several hours. That's normal for me with almost any foundation  especially when it's warm out.  I think this  makes it a possible great choice for winter's cold months for those with slightly oily to normal skins , which is basically where I fall in that season.

Coverage is light to medium , leaning more medium and it is buildable for a soft focus, smoothed skin look that feels barely there.  SPF is 15.

Lancome has always been a foundation fav of mine . I think my first ever was one of theirs  and Nude Miracle keeps that tradition going.

Lancome Nude Miracle Foundation is $ 42  , comes in 14 shades ( shown is 110 Ivoire)  and is currently exclusive to  Sephora  .

Hanes Fall Hosiery/Tights Preview

With Fall officially arriving tonight  , it seems a good time to take a look at a cool weather staple- tights.

A great pair of tights can boost an outfit  and add a little extra style as well as keep legs warm  and Hanes has some fun patterns as well as simple but never basic black .

In their Silk Reflections Fashion Tights category there are many patterns including these fun leopard print ones. These are a lightweight tight  with a control top .  Also new are square dots , which I think are super pretty . Dots add a little feminine look to any outfit.   For dressy nights out the Embellished Backseam have a row of amber  rhinestones down the back. They give me such an '80s vibe .  You can find more styles at Hanes.com

All the fashion tights run to size EF .

If you're looking for  a great black,  Silk Reflections Luxe Sheer Tights cover your gams with a sleek semi opaque look and come in Same to Waist Panty or High Waist Control Top. For those who are plus size, these go up to size IJ.

All are available now  and are priced $ 11-12 but sales are out there. Kohl's or Macy's might be a good choice as you can use their  coupons .

Laura Mercier For Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

Laura Mercier  has long been a chief supporter of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month . She has her own foundation- Laura Mercier Ovarian Cancer Fund (LMOCF) and each September releases products to benefit the cause.   New this year is Peach Hope Lip Glace . 

The Bonne Mine palette is available all year. 100% of the profits from both of these items  go to LMOCF. 


Peach Hope Lip Glace is $ 25
Bonne Mine Palette is $ 48 

Algenist Genius Face & Eye Cream Duo- QVC TSV

I've become quite the fan of Algenist skincare in the last couple years . I used their Genius cream much of last winter and once cooler weather sets in and my skin is less oily , I'll bring it back into the rotation.

New to the Genius line is an eye cream that I can't wait to try. I should have a review up in the next week or so.

 If you love Algenist as well or have been thinking of trying it, QVC has a TSV today  for a Genius "Advanced Anti-Aging Power Duo", namely one each  of the face and eye cream for $ 110 ( 40 % off).

The TSV is of course an all day sale, but presentations are at  10 AM and 1PM EST  or you can check it out online.


The set includes :

·         Algenist GENIUS Ultimate Anti-Aging Cream (2oz)

·         Algenist GENIUS Ultimate Anti-Aging Eye Cream (0.5oz)

CK One All Day Face Perfection Makeup SPF 20

All Day Face Perfection sounds like a good thing, right ? That's the  name of the new foundation from CK One  and it delivers.

Full name  All Day Face Perfection Makeup SPF 20  is a medium-  full  coverage foundation. It is a thick formula out of the bottle but once on feels very light and blends in  easily and seamlessly . It gives a nicely smoothed look to skin and has a semi matte finish. Not dry but not dewy either.

It covers imperfections and spots well and has an advanced polymer in there to help  hold pigments in place  for long wear along with vitamin E for hydration. The SPF is  Titanium Dioxide 4.95%, Octinoxate 3.0% .

This has worked well on my  oilier skin and I gave it to The Mom to try on her more normal skin .  She really likes it and may just keep the bottle.

Ck One  All Day Face Perfection Makeup SPF 20  comes in 8 shades  and is  $ 30 exclusively at  Ulta.

Shade shown is 300 Sand.

Nautica Life for Men

For the men comes  a new one from Nautica.

As you guess from a sent called Nautica Life this is very much an aquatic scent.
It is light, sporty and fresh  and  with the seamoss and violet leaf notes , a little green with  a touch of musk at the drydown.

I particularly was charmed by the bottle, inside around the spray tube is a piece that resembles knotted rope.  It solidifies that marine vibe  and for the beach lover or sailor who is sad to see Summer heading out, this would be a nice gift idea whether now or at the holidays.

Nautica Life is $ 62.50 at Macy's

Calvin Klein Eternity Night

The Eternity fragrance line gets a Night version this month which is also the 25th anniversary of the original Eternity.

Eternity  Night starts a bit sharp at first but then soon settles into a  peppery and spicy feel.  At first  there is also  a hint of dark fruit , the quetsche or damnson plum note , then the  pretty, light florals of jasmine, wisteria  and frangipani come along.  The florals stay more in the background overall and by the drydown  there is a good deal of musk along with sandalwood and tonka.

Those bottom notes of musk, sandalwood and tonka  very much sum up what Eternity Night is ,  that's almost exactly what you get once it has dried down all the way.   Not overly as  dark as  a "night" fragrance might  be, but slightly more so than a day version.


Full note list:

TOP:       pink pepper, elderberries, quetsche

MID:       frangipani, wisteria, jasmine sambac

DRY:        musks, sandalwood, tonka bean

Calvin Klein Eternity Night is $80 for  3.4 oz  and available at Macy's.

( There is also a new men's version )

NARS All Day Luminous Powder Foundation SPF 24

It's a good time to be a powder foundation fan  as the beauty world has added another great one , this time from NARS.

All you need to know about NARS All Day Luminous Powder Foundation is basically there in the name.  This is a foundation that doesn't look dry , heavy or cakey on. It gives you perfected skin with medium to full buildable coverage and  is long wearing.

Light 2 Mont Blanc, Light 1 Siberia

 I applied the foundation using the sponge that comes with it , and dusted with a  bit of matte bronzer .  Boom- I looked airbrushed and brightened.

You can also use this wet for  a more matte finish.  That also seems to bring more coverage, full almost I'd say without losing much luminosity on skin. As much though as I love matte, I prefer using this  dry.

The new formula uses NARS exclusive Light Reflecting Complex™  which " optimizes light reflection to enhance skin’s translucency while Luminosity Enhancing Technology –a blend of 17 amino acids, Vitamin C derivative and Marine Fennel – promotes cell renewal and helps reduce the look of hyper-pigmentation and wrinkles."

.  The SPF is 24 broad spectrum, using both chemical and physical sunscreens.

NARS  All Day Luminous Powder Foundation  comes in 13 shades,  is $ 48 and will be available Sept. 20 at all NARS locations.