Maison Francis Kurkdjian Petit Matin & Grand Soir

Francis Kurkdjian, my favorite parfumeur, has  you covered for both day and night with his Maison's newest  Petit Matin and Grand Soir, inspired by mornings and evenings in Paris.

Petit Matin bursts on like  morning sun with citrus in both lemon and the green of the shrub litsea cubeba followed by the creamy white floral of orange blossom.  The lemon brightens while lavender provides a touch of dryness and hawthorn adds  sweetness. Musk is listed as a drydown note but it is spare here with ambroxan more in the foreground , and the lovely  orange blossom still going strong. This is light yes, but not barely there. It's crisp ,bright and has concentration with moderate sillage. As a citrus lover as well as  most white florals , it's type of scent I reach for often. Great not just to start the day but all through the day.


Grand Soir is  rich, deep and not sweet or musky. It's a bit old fashioned, and reminds of some of my favorites I wore decades ago with serious spicy oriental oomph but done modern. It's for a grown up woman with the smokiness coming from ciste labdanum giving it an oudh like feel.  Warm notes of benzoin, tonka, and vanilla add to the fragrance for a rich, exotic smelling scent . This is a beautiful fragrance that has strength, good sillage , transports and smells delicious.

Enjoy a  video trip through Paris with Mr. Kurkdjian  and his inspirations-

Full note list:

Petit Matin:
Litsea cubeba
Lemon from Calabria
Lavandin from Provence
Orange blossom
Hawthorn accord
Musk
Ambroxan

Grand Soir:
Cistus Labdanum from Spain
Benzoin from Siam
Tonka bean from Brazil
Vanilla and amber accord


$ 215 each for 2.4 oz  at http://www.europerfumes.com/ 

Ralph Lauren BCA Month- Romance & Tender Romance

Ralph Lauren's Pink Pony Fund has long been involved  in the fight against breast cancer.  Next month two limited edition fragrance bottles will go on sale with 100 % of profits from every bottle sold donated to The Pink Pony Fund. 

Both Romance ( $ 104 for 150ml)  and Tender Romance ( $96 for 100ml) will be available with a Pink Pony tag and ribbon at Macy's, RalphLauren.com and  select retailers.

Great for gifting, and many of you might already  be starting holiday shopping . 

Shiseido Rouge Rouge Lipstick

Shiseido's  new Rouge Rouge line of lipstick might be dedicated to red but the collection is not simply red  but with  beautiful colors for just about anyone including those , like me , who aren't much of a red wearer. And I'm glad there are shades for me to wear as this is a rich, luxurious lipcolor that deserves a place in your stash.

Rouge Rouge, developed with one of the most talented makeup guru's out there,  Dick Page ,  has deep, one coat pigment in a satin formula that's creamy, applies easily and feels good on lips with light moisture.  Shiseido says that they have used "exclusive Vibrant Red Technology within the collection that includes five individual color technologies to find a shade perfectly suited for  each skin tone"

There are sixteen shades in all . I have Rose Crush , Sweet Desire and Toffee Apple. Sweet Desire is  a rosy darker nude and my fav of the three. It's Autumn in a lipstick. Rose Crush is a medium nude pink and Toffee Apple more of a true red, medium deep but not overly bold.

The case is as elegant as the lipsticks , in heavy black lacquer look tube with a magnetic closure.

Also for October Shiseido  will partner with Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) to support their philanthropic arm, Cancer and Careers by donating $5 for every Rouge Rouge in Crime of Passion (RD311), Murrey (RD305), or Burning Up (RD310) sold. 

Shiseido Rouge Rouge Lipstick is $ 28 and available now at Shiseido, Sephora , Macys and more.

Burt's Bees Ginger Spice Lip Balm

It's Fall and everything seems to be Pumpkin Spice.  It's not a favorite of mine though, so how about some Ginger?

Ginger Spice is a limited seasonal addition to the many delish flavors of Burt's Bees lip balms. This is no mild baked cookie ginger but one that has a  fairly strong spicy scent and taste. It's clear and highly hydrating like all their balms with sunflower seed, coconut oil and shea butter.

Available now, look for the limited edition gingerbread man box .

MAC Brow Sculpt Pencil

 
Brow Sculpt is the new eyepencil from MAC joining their already deep brow line up.

This new pencil has an angled tip making it easier to get more precise lines and touch ups. The pencil is matte and very natural looking while adding a  nice bit of color. It feels a bit hard but goes on and into brows easily.

I have two of the lighter shades - Omega and Fling. I love that there are several choices for lighter brows , these are great colors that work well for blondes and redheads. I have a  tough time finding the right brow color and both of these work for me.

There are eight shades in all.

MAC Brow Sculpt Pencil is $ 21 and available now in the permanent line.

Fashion Week Gets Real- NY Spring 2017

Rachel Comey 

New York's 2017 Spring Fashion Week has come and gone. We'll look for trends and eyeball new products to come in many of the looks but what struck me most this season was a couple designers who realized that what the biz calls " real  women" can make great models for their clothes.  It's about time.

Rachel Comey

Rachel Comey

The first show I flipped through that had models of all types was Rachel Comey . I had to look twice- was that someone over 50 ?? With greying hair??  It was and there were more to come.

Rachel Comey

Tracy Reese

Tracy Reese did the same for her presentation . Her always gorgeous dresses and bright colors shone on ladies who weren't just a size 4 , with long flowy hair aged 18 .  All these women looked fabulous .

Tracy Reese

Tracy Reese

It's  a small start but  a start nonetheless.  What are your thoughts?

Tracy Reese

Essence Prettifying Lip Oil, BB Lipgloss & Long Last Lipliner

Your lips get some newness from Essence this Fall.

Prettifying Lip Oil is a super moisturizing, almost clear oil. It has the barest of tints , looking almost clear with some shine on lips but not gloss like . It has a nice light fruity scent and uses jojoba oil for moisture. Great on it's own  or over a lipstick to add a little shine and sheen.  Shown in First Help, Pinky ( 3 shades in all) $ 2.99

BB Beauty Balm Lipgloss is a slightly thicker than normal gloss with nice light to medium, non sticky coverage.  Shea butter and vitamin e add moisture . The shade I have Keep It Real is a great light nude that makes lips look a little fuller. $ 3.49 ( Available in 5 shades)

Long Lasting Lipliner is a very nice liner for the price, This is creamy with no drag and had good pigment. It fills  and lines well along with holding up well over the morning. $ 2.49 . Available in 9 shades.

IT Cosmetics Anti-Aging Armour Super Smart Skin-Perfecting Beauty Fluid SPF 50+ & Heavenly Skin CC Perfecting Brush

 Have you heard? IT Cosmetics is finally launching at Sephora and with new, exclusive Color Infused Skincare .

There's quite a range of products including a top notch pore filler/primer but first up is Anti Aging Armour Super Smart Skin Perfecting Beauty Fluid SPF 50+ and a great new brush.

The beauty fluid is just that- a lightweight fluid that does a lot. It has a very light  tint that blends right in and uses color correcting pigments to help skin look brightened  and more even toned.  It's lightly hydrating but not dewy although it has slip and also packs high physical SPF. This is great under makeup but also on it's own if you prefer almost bare skin but want protection.  Ingredients include  peptides, niacin, hydrolyzed collagen, and hyaluronic acid along with oils and extracts like Grapefruit Peel Oil,Grape Seed Oil,Avocado Oil, Olive Leaf Extract and  Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract.  

IT of course is known for their brushes. Whenever I go to Ulta I have to stop and play my hand over the brush display.  The softness and the selection are tops. 

New is the Heavenly Skin  CC+ Perfecting Brush . This lovely helps to buff in colored skincare like the fluid above, powders , CC or BB creams . I use it after my pore perfecting powder on my T Zone to help fill in my large pores even more and blend what can end up as a heavy  topping of powder. It takes a lot to help conceal my pores. I admit I was a bit unsure how much help  a brush would be but this does make a nice bit of difference.  Really, you can never have enough IT brushes. 

Anti Aging Armour Super Smart Skin Perfecting Beauty Fluid SPF 50+ is $38

Heavenly Skin  CC+ Perfecting Brush is $ 58 

Q Tips Beauty Rounds

Let's do an ode to one of those little things, a basic that's so much more.

At the risk of lowering my beauty blogger creds , it hasn't been until recently that I've used these beauty rounds for makeup removal and more( aside from grabbing one at Sephora after testing).  Where have I been? Cotton balls are a staple of course, but these are so much better . All that space , excellent absorb-ability. It's all there and then some.

So here's to the little things and discovering them better late than never.

Guerlain Fall Eye Palettes 5 Couleurs

For Fall Guerlain has not one but six new eyeshadow quads . These quads cover all your eye color needs from gold to grey to blue  and are named after some of their famous fragrances.

Available now for $ 69 each.

MAC Liptensity Lipsticks

Toast and Butter, Eros, Marsala, Dionysus, Smoked Almond, Burnt Violet, Habanero

 Ready for the most deeply pigmented lipsticks? To put your lips boldly forward? Check out MAC's new Liptensity lipstick collection.

This huge 24 shade collection has such a range including several reds, browns, wine, purple, fuschia, orange. With the exception of the light caramel nudes and one lighter pink these are not for the faint of lip. One swipe gives you full deep pigment that lasts.  MAC uses what is called their exclusive High Frequency Tetrachromatic Pigments technology.

This is a new formula as well as a new case, the case being the same shade as the tube inside. It's creamy and blends pretty easily but it isn't overly moisturizing and with a few of the deepest shades I had a little drag on the lips where it didn't fully cover. Most shades did not have this problem though. The finish is a semi matte, almost satin and has a slight sheen but with no shimmer or pearl .

For me, personally I am liking to add a touch of balm over or under these for better blending and moisture. That's personal preference though.  And something I do with most matte type formulas.

Wear time here is great. These last long at full strength and when they start to fade you are left with a stain. Morning to noon went with them at a stain after about 3 hours.

MAC Liptensity are $21 each,  available online Sept. 20, in stores Sept.21-Nov. 17.

I have a feeling these will sell out fast , so grab the shades you love .

Ferragamo Tuscan Scent Leather Rose

Rose lends itself well to deeper scents and Ferragamo's new Tuscan Scent Leather Rose harnesses that.

Using both centafolia and Bulgarian rose absolutes, Leather Rose begins a rich spicy rose,  a little smoky  but also slightly sharp. That sharpness leaves thankfully once the the mid point comes in and  the leather becomes more prominent while Cardamom gives spiciness and warmth. The fragrance feels very dry here and leans masculine  but further into the drydown the rose comes  back . It has softness but this is not  a sweet, old fashioned rose. It's got edge . The full drydown is a dusty rose with  medium sillage and strength  .

This is a great cooler weather fragrance , perfect with a leather jacket, jeans  and your favorite pair of statement boots. It's smells rich but not too precious.

Salvatore Ferragamo Tuscan Scent Leather Rose is $ 250 at Saks.

MAC Taraji Glow Mineralize Skinfinish Natural & Strip Me Down Lipstick

MAC's collab with  actress Taraji P. Henson lands today. It's a smaller collab but there is plenty of  pretty .


Most of us love a good Mineralize Skinfinish  and  Taraji Glow Mineralize Skinfinish Natural is a medium coral bronze that should work on most skintones. I am pale but with a little more color from the sun and it makes  a great blush/highlighter on me. The pigment is good but it's not heavy which is where those of us paler can wear it. On darker skin it might be more of a highlighter. It's a pretty shade that warms up skin . It's not overloaded with shimmer but just enough to give a glow and blends well.

Strip Me Down is  a matte formula lipstick that is a warm  , wearable caramel beige with a hint of pink undertone. Again this can be worn by most skintones, I think. I love a good brown beige like this , especially one that isn't super dark.  Grab this up for Fall wearing.

MAC Taraji P. Henson is online Sept. 6 and on counter at select MAC stores Sept. 8th.