Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Lancome Juicy Tubes Are Back


Did you know that Juicy Tubes made a welcome comeback this Summer? I've only just gotten around to getting some and I hadn't realized how much I had missed them.

Like many of us, they were a staple of mine back in the early 2000s. One year my bestie gave me the 7 Days of Juicy Tubes gift for Christmas. I loved it , with one fruit flavor for every day.  I think the blueberry and lemon were my favs.  

Now they're back and while wearing lipcolor has gotten harder I'm rocking mine when I walk the dog.  There are new shades as well as some old favorites and the formula remains the same. There's still loads of moisture, non tacky shine and varying levels of tint.  Hello Cherry is bright jelly with a good pop of sheer color, Fig Hit  is creamy muted nude, Marshmallow Electro is a shimmering sheer pink while Pure is simply clear.  There are 20  colors in all along with cute gift sets for holiday. With cool temps here these are  balm like but with more oomph. Just what we need. 


Available at Lancome online and Lancome counters for $ 25. 










Sunday, September 20, 2020

Coco Mademoiselle L'Eau Privee

                                   


The newest in the Chanel Coco Mademoiselle lineup is L'Eau Privee . Meant as a nighttime scent , not a night out but snuggled on the couch or comfy in bed night in. 

L'Eau Privee is  whisper soft and light bordering on a skinscent. The Coco Mad DNA  is here but toned down . It's rose , barely there jasmine, peach and a healthy dose of musks. I've read a few reviews that said they got no patchouli and while that note is very de -emphasized here I do catch a little in there.  This is wispy and low key but quite pretty in it's own right as is the pink juice and frosted glass bottle that echoes the softness of the fragrance. 

Do we need a special frag for nights in ? I don't know. Probably not, but pretty things? Those we can always use. L'Eau Privee can certainly be worn in the day working almost as a body spray , a very luxurious one. Staying power on me has been decent but it's not super long, a few hours, with more sillage than I expected. Nothing close to the full blown kapow of the EDP , but you will get whiffs of it for awhile.



So fellow Chanel lovers, is this a oui or non for you?


Chanel Coco Mademoiselle L'Eau Privee is $ 125 for 3.4 oz  and $ 95 for 1.7 oz at Chanel 

Monday, July 13, 2020

Lockdown / Mask Makeup Musings



During the lockdown I learned to love my face more. I've gotten far more comfortable with my naked , makeup less face the past months. I wore almost no makeup while home  ( I rarely did on days I wasn't going anywhere pre -lockdown really ) and when I did venture out it was minimal and above the mask. That's the area now- abm.

Do I still love makeup, do you have to ask ? Yes. And yes I think I look better with makeup on than not but I also  think I don't look as bad without it as I used to think.   I don't wear and never have worn it so much to impress others as I do for me. I want to look good to people who see me, but I want to look good for ME first.  I feel better when I think look better and I'm pretty sure that's all of us. And I also just love playing with makeup.  It's nothing but fun when i start digging into those pans and pots . I wouldn't have been doing this blog for 12 years if not. But the makeup less or minimal makeup me doesn't look so bad at all.

I went back to work  to a busy office almost 3 weeks ago and boy was that a tough transition . I was perfectly fine at home and  not bored for one minute. Now makeup is back on but in a different way . What is my routine now ?


I focus on the eyes more than ever because that's what's most visible . Before even though I would do a full eye look,  the focus would have been lips because my eye makeup tends to melt off fast.  Now I pay more attention there with fun colored liners ( I've been reminded how much fun they are and why I have a gazillion colors that  want to be used instead of the usual brown or taupe) ,  and of course concealer. I'm wearing green and purple eyeshadow more.

Bronzer plays a big role . Shimmery or matte.  Highlight and/or blush too but sometimes just bronzing gets it done.  A cream bronzer like Chanel's Baume Essential or a NARS Multiple is perfect for quick swipe  on the cheek area above the mask.

Lime Crime's Sunkissed palette adds so much glowy color, has all the shades you could want . Chanel's Bronze et Lumiere duo in medium is another I reach for often and Guerlain's Terracotta Touch.  I'm loving a sunkissed look right now. It's easy , fast but looks nice. Grab a big fluffy brush ( I love IT Cosmetics Heavenly Wand Ball Powder), swirl it on the usual places- bridge of nose, upper cheek , browbone and forehead and you're done in seconds flat.  Sometimes, I even skip the eyes . I know, I know. Maybe just a bit of mascara . But really,  go back to my first line- I've learned to love my face more. And really that's not  bad thing at all .

So what's your new routine , or is it the same ?  Pop in or leave me an Insta comment. We all need to do us, be ourselves with what makes us feel good day in and out. More makeup, less, it doesn't matter .


Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Naturopathica Oat & Calendula Soothing Jelly Mist


Face mists have become one of my favorite products. I rarely used them up until about a year or so ago, now I spritz away.   In Winter they add moisture and help make makeup look a little dewy and "set" , in Summer they refresh, cool and set. 

Naturopathica's Oat & Calendula Soothing Jelly Mist is my newest. 
Despite jelly in the name this is a mist and not thick but they do say it shake it before using as there is a probiotic component.  

In addition to the oat and calendula , which are both known to soothe inflammation in skin , making this especially nice right now after a day in the sun,  there are lavender and rose flower waters,  hyaluronic acid and aloe leaf powder.

It's refreshing  and soothing with a light herbal fragrance and adds just a little extra moisture.  I really want to pop this in the fridge as I bet it will be even better when chilled  . The bottle is plastic so it's lightweight making it easy to toss in a purse or bag to have at hand all day. I'll just be over here having a mist sesh, thanks. 


I also tried their Oat Cleansing Facial Polish . This is the face scrub for drier skins. Yes there are jojoba beads in there but not a lot so the scrub action is light and the cleanser itself is so creamy that it cleans , removes makeup but never feels tight or dry. Aloe Leaf Juice is the first ingredient, followed by Sunflower Seed Oil . Skin is soft after use.  In fact, while I am really liking this , right now in the heat my skin gets oilier and this is almost too creamy. Come Fall it'll be perfect. 




Naturopathica Oat & Calendula Soothing Jelly Mist is $ 34 at Naturopathica

Oat Cleansing Facial Polish is $31- 62 



Thursday, April 2, 2020

L'Oreal Age Perfect Radiant Serum Foundation




L'Oreal makes  great foundations, I use Infallible Fresh Wear almost every day . They compete pretty close with my high end ones. I'm also finding that my skin is changing some over the past 6 months , it's still oily in T Zone but drier everywhere else, not very dry but enough that the mattes and even semi mattes I always used are looking  dry and cakey right now especially in cooler weather. But if I go too moisturizing I'll break out.

When I heard L'Oreal had a whole new line dedicated to more mature skin , I was right there. Yay for a huge selection of makeup for those of us fabulous and over a certain age. 



Their new Age Perfect Radiant Serum foundation is fabulous , I love it  as does The Mom.  It's got lightweight, comfy feeling medium coverage that doesn't settle into lines, looks a little dewy and brightening but isn't greasy or heavy .  It does add a welcome boosting radiance to skin but there is no shimmer, pearl or actual added "glow" in it.  Wear time is great , it looks good all day  with usually no or minimal touch ups needed. ( I am still using Fresh Wear on my nose and chin). Also it has SPF 50 with a mix of chemical and physical sunscreens .

Coverage is as I mentioned above,  medium to semi full and more natural. I would love it to be full coverage , I like my that in my foundations but a base , CC or some concealer fixes that and L'Oreal has you covered as there is also a new Age Perfect Radiant Concealer for extra spot coverage. It too is lightweight  , creamy, blends well and doesn't settle into lines etc. It's been great under my eyes . Plus there's nothing wrong with a little  "you" showing through. 



The foundation is a total win in my book, I look so much better lately since I've switched to this , it's upped my makeup game. 


L'Oreal Age Perfect Radiant Serum Foundation is approx. $ 11.99 - 15.99 depending on the outlet. 





Sunday, February 16, 2020

IT Cosmetics Pillow Lips Lipstick




New lippie alert - It Cosmetics  recently launched Pillow Lips lipsticks. 

These are what I am calling old school lipstick. They've got full  coverage and  rich saturation in one swipe.  Each shade is available in Matte and Cream formula. I am not a matte fan for the most part, so I went with all Cream colors. 

Vision, marvelous, wish list ,fanciful, humble

The bullet here is firm but not hard as the formula is lightly moisturizing and creamy with a not quite satin , more semi matte finish with one,   Marvelous, being a pearl.  It does drag a bit on application and you think it'll be patchy but it's not. They blend and smoothes out easily and fast with a smush of your lips.

With lanolin ,sesame seed, jojoba and peppermint oils and shea butter they feel very comfy on and have is a light scent but no taste of peppermint. I've been wearing one the past couple days and not only do I love the full quick color but they last really well. I went from 7:30 to 10:30AM including drinking and eating a snack bar with very little wear. By lunchtime I still had a stain left.  


It  has done a fabulous job with the cases here too. Weighty and ceramic like with an embossed quilted pattern , and a solid silver tube with the brand name etched across the bottom.  A little modern and very chic . 




Sunday, February 2, 2020

Chanel Ombre Premiere Laque Liquid Eyeshadows



 
Behold the new Chanel Ombre Premiere Laque eyeshadows.  I LOVE these . Love them. Yes I am that excited by new makeup. 

 I have major eye makeup melt issues and oily eyelids as I've mentioned a time or 10 and shadows that stick/last on me are thin on the ground. These metallic liquid shadows have serious grip. You only need a little bit and  blend fast as they set quickly and once on stay put. At 9pm there's still more than half the shadow left from an 8am application. For me that's amazing. 


And they look so good on. A metallic finish but not heavy or glittery. More a muted metal , so at least to me, they're very wearable anytime.   The shades are gorg with Vastness  a rich bronzed brown. Rising Sun a bright copper, Rayon is gold and Quartz Rose is a burnished rose/ mauve. 


Chanel Ombre Premiere Laque Eyeshadows come in 5 shades are $ 36 at Chanel 






Sunday, January 26, 2020

Chloe Nomade Absolu EDP



New from Chloe is  Nomade Absolu de Parfum. I wasn't overly into the original version. It was well done but not really me. This new version is a different story.

 Nomade Absolu is stronger ,deeper and amps up the oakmoss and florals. It's somewhat old school but done in a modern way. Freesia ,a soft rose and davana are the floral notes . They are there right off and then  sandalwood and a good bit of warm musk bring the drydown with a little of those florals still there mixing in. 

Absolus is  a little chypre and a little woodsy. It's also a warm and cozy scent but also sophisticated. Perfect for scarf and sweater weather as it will hold up to the layers  with lasting power and  good sillage . 

Chloe Nomade Absolu is $ 84 for 1 oz, $ 155 for 1.7 oz and $ 142 for 2.5 oz at Sephora , Macys and more. 






Thursday, January 9, 2020

Peter Thomas Roth Pro Strength Retinoid Peptide Serum

 
For me, I think of Winter as whip skin in shape season. Not that I 'm not always caring for it but  I can hit the harder stuff now without worrying about as much sun exposure interaction, sweat and extra oiliness . Perfect for this new high powered serum from Peter Thomas Roth.

Pro Strengh Retinoid Peptide Serum packs 10% granactive retinoid and 5 % hexapeptide complex. Me, I'm here for the retinol .While I've tried many retinol products in the past this is the strongest so far although I'd been wanting to use a  super strong one .


It didn't take too long to begin to notice a difference , 10 days or so. Skin looked smoother , plumper, brightened, more clarity with a little lightening of spots . I've been using this for about 3 weeks now and I love what it's doing for my skin. I stopped for almost a week, not because of any issues but just using other things , busy etc. and within a few days I noticed the difference. I looked more dull.


My skin tolerates strong actives well so I haven't had any irritiation or super dryness with this. My skin just gets a little drier. It's normal/oily so over drying right now isn't a problem. I haven't used it every night in a row. Sometimes 2-3 nights then off for a day, sometimes 2 nights then off.  The off nights I'll use a moisturizing serum or cream and  I do use a hydrating creamy moisturizer with SPF during the day.  It does have squalene and a lipid complex to help moisturize some and the thin liquid does have a little slip to it before it sets into skin ( that doesn't take long, btw ).  Also, you use a dropper and you do not need a lot. As I said it's thin with slip so use sparingly.

Peter Thomas Roth Pro Strength Retinoid Peptide Serum is $ 110 for 1 oz 






Friday, January 3, 2020

Gucci Bloom Ambrosia Di Fiori




Gucci  Bloom Ambrosia Fiori is the new flanker scent in the Gucci Flora line. They've all been lovely and this new one adds iris to the tuberose of the earlier versions. 

The iris shows up here that Ambrosia Di Fiori is drier and powdery but I wouldn't call it an iris scent. The tuberose is still there and on the green side.  Actually the whole fragrance leans just a little earthy herbal but is still very  white floral with jasmine and also a soft soft rose hiding in there. I gave this bottle to a friend and she said it really reminded her of an older scent and after some guessing , she landed on Giorgio  from the 80s. It's not quite that loud but there is a similarity and also I should note this smelled far more tuberose and less green on her than it did I. 



The longevity here is serious . Next day longevity with lots of sillage. It's not super strong but not shy and light either. A sweater weather Bloom.

They've gone to a lacquer red bottle this time ,something we're seeing more of in newer releases and I like it. The front sticker is well just a sticker and close up lessens the pretty bottle look though but the red is still a stand out color and look. 


Gucci  Bloom Ambrosia Di Fiori is $ 145 for 3.3 oz,  $ 107 for 1.6 oz and $ 34 for a .25 oz rollerball at Sephora , Macys and more. 






.