Tuesday, December 27, 2016

MAC Shadescents & Lipcolors




 How about a coordinating fragrance and lipstick set?

MAC's new Shadescents fragrances are inspired by their lipcolor namesakes and the line includes those lip shades in coordinating, color matched packaging.


Honey makes up Velvet Teddy with the note being very strong here , if you love the smell of pure, straight up honey with just a hint of musk and spice this is for you.

Candy Yum Yum has cherry, tropical fruits, vanilla  and a bit of cotton candy sweetness  while Creme De Nude is more of a skinscent with amber, white musks and very light vanilla.

All come in the familar bottle that MAC Hue fragrances were in.

Each of the lipcolors and fragrances are sold separately btw.

MAC Shadescents are $ 57
MAC Lipstick is $ 17




Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Joy by Jean Patou Gift Set




Doing some last minute shopping? How about giving some Joy? As in  the iconic and  gorgeous fragrance Joy.


This gift set comes with a 1.0 oz EDP  and a box with four highly scented soaps.

If you're not familiar with Joy, it's an old school( created in 1930 ) big white floral bursting with tuberose , jasmine and rose .  Iris, green notes and a little musk are there too. It's totally feminine and chic.


In this set the vintage red bottle makes a return. Square cut glass is the usual bottle, also pretty but this one is a nice throwback. I remember standing in front of the Patou store when I was in Paris and window shopping . It was spare with many bottles of Joy displayed on pedestals and very elegant.


Joy by Jean Patou Gift Set is $ 110 at Lord and Taylor, Bloomningdales , Dillards and more.






Sunday, December 18, 2016

Chanel Super Nude & Super Coral Rouge Allure Gloss-Spring 2017




As I mentioned last week, Chanel Spring 2017 is on counter and online. The star product is Coco Code blush but the supporting players like these new glosses shine also.

Super Coral and Super Nude are the two new glosses  and both are, yes, super pretty and will quickly become favorites here. I love a nude and a coral lip so these are perfect.


They have good pigment and color payoff. Medium , with shine but a light shine. More liquid lipstick than gloss . They have no shimmer or pearl and feel nice on lips without being too tacky while adding  a little bit of moisture with green tea butter and a vitamin E  derivative among the ingredients.


Both shades are LE.

Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss is $ 37




Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Maybelline Baby Lips Color Balm Crayon



Like my friend The Muse ( Musings of a Muse) I still love lip crayons. Not sick of them yet and these new ones from Maybelline are a good addition to the stash.

Baby Lips Color Balm Crayons are the latest in the very popular Baby Lips line. These new crayons have slight shine  , moisture and unlike the original Baby Lips, a lot of pigment. As in COLOR. No sheerness here.


They are oil based and have what I'd say is medium moisture  .They apply creamy  and easily with the domed tip and feel good on . They are a slightly thicker formula.

I have four shades here - Toasted Taupe, Creamy Coral, Blush Burst and Refreshing Red. I have to say I was really surprised when I put Refreshing Red on , with how bold it was. Definitely not the color payoff of a typical balm.


While these are set to officially launch in January , some places will have them now.

Maybelline Baby Lips Color Balm Crayon sugg. retail is $ 6.99




Sunday, December 11, 2016

Chanel Coco Code Blush Harmony-Spring 2017



Spring has sprung at Chanel and that means the gorg new blush quad Coco Code is available.

Coco Code is four shades that work beautifully all together for a warmed up look. The colors seem to lend themselves more to Summer but work anytime.


This does have a good bit of shimmer but the pinkish red shade has less than the others and on , it doesn't look over shimmery at all ( then again I love  some shimmer so your thoughts might vary). It's not overly bold but just enough color and you can use the shades separately and the lighter ones as highlight.  I have swatched three of the colors, all except for the lightest.


This is going to be  one of the season's must haves I think.

Chanel Coco Code Blush Harmony is $ 70 and available now.





Thursday, December 8, 2016

Goody Holiday Hair Accessories




Goody has your back for holiday party hair as well as great gifting. Their new accessories for the season will elevate your festive look and make great stocking or gift bag stuffers.


There is a wide range of new from the brand and a few of my favorites are Bracelets and Hair Ties in One Set , Charmed Bobbies, the Antique Floral Clasp Barrette and Ouchless Ribbon Elastics. 


The Bracelets and Hair Ties in One Set has sparky hair ties in silver, with studs or silver/black braid to upgrade any pony. The silver bracelets have a groove to stash the tie when not wearing, instead of just having the tie on your arm for a little extra style.


Charmed Bobbies are a set of four goldtone bobby pins with a dangling charm on one and attached ones on the others. With butterfly , rose and pearl these make for a sweet look in your hair. Cute for anybody but especially the tweens. ($4.99)

Antique Floral Clasp is  large but not too heavy and really has presence . It's beautiful for any day not just special occasions with silver filigree and rhinestones.


Ouchless Ribbon Elastics speak for themselves. We all love these, right? Easy to use without hurting hair and the wider size makes them more visible. This new  pack of five has  bright , multi colored ties to add a little color to any pony or 'do. ($3.99)





Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Narciso Rodriguez Travel Spray Fragrance Gift Sets



Fragrance gift sets are a staple Christmas gift and for good  reason. You generally get good value, more product for what you usually pay for one bottle and they have extras like lotions , soaps or mini sprays .

Narciso Rodriguez has many sets ready for gifting this year and my pick are the Narciso Rodriguez ‘for her’  and NARCISO Travel Spray Gift Sets.


Both sets sell for $50 and includes three purse sprays at 10ml each.

In "for her" it's two of the  Eau de Toilette version and one of the  Eau de Parfum.

The NARCISO set has two Eau de Parfum and one Eau de Toilette.

Three sprays mean your giftee can carry one in a purse, one on the vanity and one in a desk or other spot. Or just have backups of her fav perfume.

Available now at department stores.


Monday, December 5, 2016

ZO Skin Health Ossential Daily Power Defense & Ossential C-Bright Serum



Cooler weather means time to get my skin in better shape and undo any sun damage.  I use SPF all summer but being in the pool all day, all weekend it wears off easily even with reapplying.  Retinol and vitamin C are the best brighteners and Dr. Obagi's ZO Skin Health has been getting it done for me with each ingredient. I had met Dr. Obagi years earlier and loved the line. It was time for a re-visit.


Using  Ossential Daily Power Defense and C-Bright Serum  alternately  over the past two weeks has given me really smooth skin that is more clarified and my  small discolorations are starting to lighten a little. 

Ossential Daily Power Defense is a lightly hydrating  cream with a good dose of retinol along with  matrixyl 300 , enzymes and ceramides  After a few uses my skin was looking brighter and a little smoother . More clarity overall . This can be used alone, it's enough moisture for my skin, but drier skin will need extra moisture. I don't find it very drying either with the retinol but again those who are drier might.


Ossential C-Bright Serum is a 10 % vitamin C cream that adds zero moisture.  It's all about brightening. It's very dry going on but blends well and sinks right in.  You  do need moisture after applying this ( it goes on skin first before any other products). Within a few days  I started to notice  a nice slight  difference in my skin- brighter, clearer. This comes in  a pump tube that is opaque which helps to keep the cream's potency , important with any vitamin C skin product.


ZO Skin Health Ossential Daily Power Defense is   $ 150
ZO Skin Health Oseential C- Bright Serum is $ 90

https://zoskinhealth.com/  ( free shipping for the month of December)




Thursday, December 1, 2016

Victoria's Secret Paris


To celebrate the Victoria's Secret fashion show next week in Paris , comes a new fragrance aptly named Paris.

The  LE scent comes in a pretty faceted crystal inspired bottle along with coordinating body lotion and fragrance mist. The notes include  French Cypress, Night Blooming Jasmine and White Cedarwood  making it sound like a crisp , lightly floral cold weather fragrance .


Available now in stores and online

Eau De Parfum $85/3.4 oz,  $65/1.7 oz
Eau de Parfum Rollerball  $18/.23 oz
Fragrance Mist  $25/8.4 oz
Fragrance Lotion  $25/8.4 oz

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Kiehl's Lip Balm Giftables- Holiday 2016




A gift of Kiehl's is always a good one and this year they've teamed with Brooklyn based artist Jeremyville to decorate their packaging.


Another good thing at Kiehl's? The lip balm.  If you haven't tried it, this is a thick,  hydrating balm where a little is all you need. There's some nice flavors too .

This year's gift set features 4 balms individually boxed with art by Jeremyville  so you can gift as is or break the set up. With the art here being not very traditional Christmas , this can also be gifted for other holiday/occasions.  You get original non- flavored, mint, cranberry and mango .  Each balm is full size at .5 oz


Kiehl's Lip Balm Giftables is $ 32 at www.kiehls.com  and wherever Kiehl's is sold.




Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Maybelline New York FaceStudio Master Blush Color & Highlight Kit



We're getting a look at what's new next year from Maybelline.  There's a lot of new that includes more Baby Lips ( in a crayon) , lip and eye palettes and this new face color quad.

 Maybelline New York FaceStudio Master Blush Color & Highlight Kit is the brand's first all in one palette for highlight/blush and has four shades to mix , layer and blend . There are three blush colors and one highlight shade.

It looks really pretty, right ?

Available for $ 12.99 sugg. retail on January 2017.



Monday, November 28, 2016

Bluemercury Holiday Shopping Party Days & Discounts


Discounts on beauty are rare, making Bluemercury's annual Holiday Shopping Party a must shop.

 Shoppers can receive 10% off  over $100 purchase , 15% off $ 175 and 20%  off $ 250.  Brands rarely seen discounted  are on sale including  La Mer, Revive, Oribe, Chanel, and Jo Malone.

Shoppers can  nibble on snacks and have a cocktail while shopping and if you spend $ 175 you'll receive a free deluxe gift bag.

The Holiday Parties are for One Day Only in each store and run from today through mid December.  You can find  your stores party day here -  https://bluemercury.com/pages/holiday-parties


Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Ombres Lamees De Chanel Eyeshadow Palette


Just in time for Holiday Chanel is releasing the Ombres Lamees De Chanel  eyeshadow palette inspired by braids, tweeds , lame and more. 

Per Chanel    "The Ombres Lamees De Chanel palette unveils a harmony of four eyeshadow shades requiring a goldsmith’s touch. Embossed and then covered with golden pearly particles, the patterns recreate a fabric from the Ready-to-Wear collection and form a precious textured surface slipped into an exclusive case, accompanied by two brushes "



Availble exclusively at Chanel.com and Chanel boutiques on Nov. 28th for  $105.00.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Biolage R.A.W Nourish Shampoo & Conditioner



I've gone back to Matrix products in a big way after a few years absence. Their Moisture Me Rich duo and leave in is that good and all I've been using for awhile.

Of course since I love to try anything new , I took a look at the new R.A.W line as well.  There are three formulas and Nourish is for dry , dull hair. My hair is slightly dry although not dull but it does need plenty of moisture.  R.A.W is silicon, paraben and sulfate free and they list the % ( 71-90) natural origin each is on the bottles.


The formula for Nourish shampoo  has quinoa husk and honey while the conditioner has coconut oil  and kaolin clay. It's a low lather shampoo that gets hair very clean without making it feel stripped.The conditioner is medium hydrating, it does a nice job but is not quite as moisturizing as I usually use/need.

After use my hair was  very soft , light ( I still used my usual Matrix leave in), with plenty of movement and shine. It didn't add any volume or extra body but was more smoothing and kept away any frizz.  My hair (heat) styled well too.

I have to say too, that I think the packaging on these is cute, like a smoothie bottle .


Biolage R.A.W Nourish Shampoo & Conditioner is available at Ulta and wherever Biolage/Matrix is sold.