February 21, 2009 • 10:35 am 0
Sephora has started selling solid perfumes from a French brand named “Crazylibellule and the Poppies” for $18 a pop.
Truth is, they are currently on clearance at Anthropologie stores for around $3-4 a pop, I’m guessing mostly due to low brand recognition and also perhaps the American audience is not too crazy about solid perfumes yet.
Anyhow I thought the following was the best scent in the line:
Shanghaijava Blue Orchidée, $18
Happy Shopping!
Filed under: Beauty, Shopping Tip , solid perfume
February 5, 2009 • 8:36 pm 0
Living Proof No Frizz Straight Making Styling Cream
Rating: 10/10 silky strands
Review: I got this product as a pre-release for Beauty Insiders from Sephora. Although my hair is naturally straight, Asian medium-coarse in texture, I bought the product for the anti-frizz and anti-oil properties and absolutely love it! And get this, it contains NO silicones. It will definitely make your hair feel shinier, silkier and blow outs last longer.
Trick: Don’t be afraid to use a nice big portion of this. It isn’t sticky or smelly, and won’t weigh down your hair. I know this sounds magical like pink unicorns, but it’s entirely true.
Packaging: I used the lab version (aka Living Proof Frizz Solution for Medium to Thick Hair) in a tube but the retail version appears to be a fancier bottle (see pic above)
Fragrance: Refreshingly none in particular.
Price: Moderately expensive. $24 for 4 oz. from Livingproof.com or Sephora.com
Product cousins: None since this is exclusive MIT technology. And trust me, this is definitely not some repackaged version of Frizz-ease.
Filed under: Beauty, Product Reviews , hair product, living proof, no frizz
January 11, 2009 • 9:41 pm 1
Annick Goutal Neroli Eau de Toilette
Rating: 10/10 sighs of contentment
Review: A warm orange blossom that’s like happiness in a bottle. It’s a deceivingly simple fragrance, yet the woody notes make it more sensual and unique. It’s lingers long enough so you can keep sniffing your wrists all day like a deranged crack addict.
Unfortunately I only have a small glass sample vial as I have yet to stomach the price tag for a real bottle of my own.
Notes: Orange blossom, neroli essence, petit grain, woody note, cedar
Price: Retails $95 for 3.4 oz
Background: Annick Goutal is a French high-end perfumerie that focuses on transforming “emotions into fragrances.” Below is a picture of the beautiful Camille Goutal, the founder’s daughter, who has continued on the perfumerie’s legacy. Let us now all glare at our monitors with a mix of jealousy and reverence.
Filed under: Beauty, Product Reviews , Annick Goutal, neroli, perfume
December 22, 2008 • 2:38 am 0
I cannot rave how ridiculously good yet inexpensive I’ve found Sonia Kashuk’s line at Target to be. My favorites:
1. The Bent Eyeliner Brush for $5.99 (in Target stores only)
Seriously, everybody on MakeupAlley and their dog raves about this brush and frankly I adore it just as much. Pairs amazingly well with MAC Fluidline, a gel eyeliner. Oh, and the price is just insane.
2. The Synthetic Crease Brush for $9.99 (online and in Target stores)
I look for supersoft bristles in all my eye brushes as I cannot stand irritation. I really like using this as a detailed eyeshadow brush. The price for the quality is insane and the ergo handle is a great plus!
3. Individual Lashes with Glue $5 (in Target stores only)
Seriously, you would not think individual falsies would be easy to apply but they are really not as tricky as they may seem. I personally prefer just 2 clusters at the very outer edges of my eyes for a flirty look. Fortunately, the Lucky Magazine editors have a Youtube instructional video:
Filed under: Beauty , brushes, eyelash, makeup, Sonia Kashuk, Target
December 7, 2008 • 10:00 pm 4
After seeing Twilight, I was very much inspired to put together a Twilight-inspired holiday gift list. While yes, I’m sure super-deluxe versions of the books/future DVD etc would delight any fan, I thought perfume would be ideal. After all, isn’t Bella’s scent like Edward’s “personal brand of heroin?” I also was inspired by the red apple motif seen on the cover of the novel and in the movie.
1. For the all-American Edward and Bella: DKNY Red Delicious Men and Women. The fragance is described as
a second bite of temptation with a new, limited-edition scent. Aptly named DKNY Red Delicious, this sexy fragrance is a bit more daring, a bit more tantalizing – completely irresistible.
Taken in a vampire-y way I think this is a yummy pairing indeed.
2. For those who prefer a more dark and mysterious interpretation, Dior Hyponotic Poison (for her) and Calvin Klein Intense Euphoria (for him). The Dior is described as “Hypnotizing. Extravagant. Bewitching” while the cK is described as “Masculine. Bold. Addictive”.
3. And my personal favorite interpretation: Nina Ricci Nina (for her) and Calvin Klein Eternity (for him).
Nina, besides rhyming with Bella, is described as
magical, a promise of enchantment with the radiant power of seduction. Combining temptation, femininity, and modernity, it’s a fresh, fruity floral sprinkled with a tantalizing accord.
Meanwhile the cK Eternity is ideal for the immortal vampire Edward, not to mention described as “A classic, refreshing scent that’s exhilarating and distinctly masculine.”
Get a whiff of that….
Filed under: Beauty , cK, Dior, DKNY, gifts, Nina Ricci, perfume, twilight
November 23, 2008 • 3:43 am 0
I’m a big fan of Beauty.com’s “I’ll-give-you a-designer-beauty-case-filled-with-goodies worth-more-than-your-total-order!!!!” Yes, such is the life.
This time Rachel Roy has partnered up with Beauty.com to design a chic black case filed with $150 worth of goodies. (Unfortunately it’s limited to 1 per household).
Prior designers (and offers I’ve fallen for) have been Jenni Kayne and Lela Rose. I would say the cases may not be exactly luxe, but are roomy and functional. The huge full-size to deluxe size samples are definitely amazing and hard to find on other beauty websites.
As with all such offers, typically you’ll get a few items you really want, a few you’ll want to try and a few you can give away to your BFF. The short list this time around is below (although I have seen Beauty.com do substitutions when they start running low):
Juice Beauty Oil-Free Moisturizer
Korres Basil Lemon Shower Gel
Fresh Sugar Lychee Body Lotion
Murad Firming Bronzer
PHYTO 7 Daily Hydrating Cream
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
Stila Eye Glaze in Kitten
Remede Alchemy Premium Night Cream
Arcona Cranberry Gommage
Fekkai Protein PM Repair Strengthener
Jane Iredale Pure Matte Transparent Powder
Nick Chavez Flocker
Prescriptives Super Line Preventor Xtreme
Filed under: Beauty
November 3, 2008 • 12:58 am 0
Rating: 10/10 glorious soap bubbles
Review: Satu is a line of bath products which are exclusive to Anthropologie stores. I picked Vanilla Infusion as a little treat for myself. The scent is described as “black calla lily blends with lush layers of fruit and spice for a touch of the exotic.” The soap is French milled to last and has glycerin to help moisturize.
The reason why I gave this soap a 10/10 is the absolutely luxurious lather and amazing scent. Also the moisture is helpful during cold winter months.
Packaging: Simple yet elegant. Wrapped in beautiful paper with a black elastic bow.
Price: $8 regular price for a generous 6 oz but I found mine for $3.95 at the store.
Product sisters: Also comes in Gerber Daisy and Plum Nectar.
Filed under: Beauty, Product Reviews , soap
July 26, 2008 • 5:38 pm 0
Sephora Pop-up Travel Brush
10/10 “fairest of them all”
Review: Cannot live without this mirror-brush combo in my purse. I’ve gone through multiple purse mirrors and this is the only one I want to carry in my purse now. Fix up your hair and your face in one handy little compact! After I somehow lost my first one *gasp* I immediately went out and bought myself another.
Packaging: Now comes in assorted colors for each season and of course, signature black and red. Made of good quality plastic that can survive your purse.
Price: Cheap as dirt. Available at Sephora only for $8.
Filed under: Beauty, Product Reviews , brush, mirror, Sephora
July 6, 2008 • 4:01 pm 0
DHC Eyelash Tonic
Rating: 1/10 screams of pain
Review: While the idea of an inexpensively priced eyelash tonic sounds great, this stung my eyes and had a very weird consistency. The liquid/gel formula tended to form beads on my eyelashes (not pretty). The cheapo brush didn’t help. Tried recycling it into a brow gel and that didn’t work either.
Trick: Use your money to buy something else, sweetie.
Packaging: Horrible brush. Otherwise, it’s your basic mascara wand packaging.
Price: Really cheap at $12 from DHC
Product sisters: Let’s hope there isn’t another product that exactly matches this one. Other (more famous and expensive) lash stimulators include Talika Eyelash Lipocils and Peter Thomas Roth Lashes to Die For.
May 28, 2008 • 2:50 am 0
Fresh Sugar Lemon
Rating: 10/10 spritzes
Review: Great perfume for those who hate traditional overly floral or sweet perfumes. Very subtle sweet lemon scent. And no! it doesn’t smell like Pledge!
Trick: Buy the cheaper 1 oz size if you don’t wear perfume everyday and want to save the moolah for more beauty loot.
Packaging: Simple glass bottle with spritzer. Pretty box.
Fragrance: Fresh, sparkling citrus, and clean. Perfect summer scent.
Price: Expensive like most perfumes. $24.50 for 1 oz or $65 for 3.4 oz size. Available at Sephora and at Beauty.com, Fresh.com and many other sites.
Product sisters: Haven’t found something exactly the same. But if you’re interested in similarly non-typical “clean” perfumes but aren’t into citrus, I would recommend Clean and Philosophy’s Grace.
