LA Beauty Discoveries

October 23, 2013

This past weekend, we took a road trip to LA and I had the chance to explore some fun beauty shops. I spotted some fun new-to-me things, so I thought I'd share it with you!

First up, I got to meet up with my friend Marianna at Space NK. So exciting, as I haven't seen her since earlier this year and she had never been to Space NK! The SA's were busy, but we sniffed a lot of Diptyque, stared at skincare, and covered ourselves in shimmery eyeshadow shades from Laura Mercier, Nars, and By Terry. I definitely spotted a few things that made it onto my wishlist....

While wandering around some cute shops, I discovered Apolis candles, an LA based store with a neat selection of clothing and accessories. But more importantly, I went to Scent Bar, a cute little boutique from the guys at Lucky Scent. (I'm dying. That place is amazing. I wish I lived in that store. See the next handful of photos for proof of concept, haha!)

I should have taken more pictures of the store, but I was really occupied by taking pictures of scents I found interesting... I love how the store was styled by scent family, and there were just so many amazing things to sniff.

Last but not least, I somehow wandered into the beauty section at Fred Segal, and seem to have only taken photos of fragrances that were interesting. More Histoires de Parfums catching my eye, and the fragrance blending kit that looks SO intriguing...

And OMG, Memoire Liquide = bespoke perfumes. I can't even begin to think about this. (!!!!)

Hope you enjoyed the photos! Have you tried any of these brands or products? If so, how did you like them?

Is It Love? Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Crayon

October 22, 2013

When the Marc Jacobs line launched at Sephora in August, I was a bit excited and also a bit apprehensive. I had heard about the line in magazines and such leading up to it, but as a previously avid participant in Sephora's BeautyTalk forums, I remembered how I had filled out a survey about what I would think about a designer beauty line. Hmm!

Anyway, I wasn't so sure about the packaging from the initial photos, and I waited until I could check out the line in stores. I thought the foundation, concealer, lipstick, and nail polish looked interesting, while the rest of the line seemed hit or miss. What really caught my eye were these Highliner Gel Crayons - part of me has an obsession with deeply black, creamy pencil liners, so I immediately wanted one.

After swatching the colors available, I knew I wanted the bronzey Ro(Cocoa), and lucky for me that Blacquer was available at that time (very briefly) as a 100 point perk. I grabbed them, and I was quite excited, especially since the swatches seemed impossible to remove. Always a good sign.

Unfortunately, Blacquer irritated my eyes, as many black waterproof liners have been doing this year. Ro(Cocoa) on the other hand, is just as gorgeous of a shade as I expected. The formula, however, is not as bulletproof as I was expecting based on the swatching experience. On my monolid eyes, they creased somewhat at the end of the day. I'd say that's probably 8+ hours, and the creasing wasn't bad (definitely wearable haha) but I was hoping for the wear I get from Armani Waterproof Smooth Silk Pencils, which really do seem to last forever.

Swatches L=R: Marc Jacobs Highliner in Blacquer, Ro(Cocoa)

All in all, I'm really loving Ro(Cocoa) despite my high hopes for wear. I probably wouldn't purchase another one unless there was a really unique shade, but I'm definitely loving this one while I have it! What do you think? Have you tried this or anything else from the Marc Jacobs line? How did you like it? I'd love to know! :)

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Blush Fiends Fall: Stila Convertible Color in Poppy

October 21, 2013

This year, I've kind of been missing fall. Having spent the majority of my time in California since May, there hasn't really been any variation in weather. Do I even know what fall is anymore?? (Dramatic, I know.)

When I think of this time of year, I think of the trees and crisp air. I always loved watching the leaves change color, into those bright oranges and deep reds, so today's blush pick is inspired by those colorful leaves I'm missing. I would have picked an orange blush to go with the leaves, but that seems so summery. Plus when I think of fall blush, I think of deep reds - something that I'm missing from my blush collection, though I suspect I had some perfect ones in my Nars stash a few years back... Anyway, I'm all for cream blush when the weather turns dry, and Stila Convertible Color in Poppy seems to be just right this time of year.

stila convertible color in poppy review, stila convertible color in poppy swatches

I love applying the color heavily on lips - as this formula doesn't feel drying or anything - as shown in the swatch above. Shown blended out to the right, it becomes a bit of an orange-y red on my skin. Kind of perfect I think! It is easy to apply quickly with fingers, and lasts all day on me too. Plus, I could sure use a bit of color this time of year. :)

What are your fall blush picks? I'd love to know! :) Check out the other ladies' posts for Blush Fiends Fall!
Beauty Reflections
Bloomin' Beauty
ChloeAsh
Eye Heart It

This Week

October 19, 2013

This has been another makeup free week. Whoops. Sometimes I am such a fail. I probably could've benefited from some concealer too, but I was just too sleepy.

I'm heading to LA this weekend for a quick trip so you can follow along with the Instagram feed below, which is currently displaying some highlights from my past week or two. You can also follow me on Instagram!

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Posts This Week: Makeup Minis #1 // My Week in Lip (Balms) // Added to the Wishlist: Candles // Space NK Chicago Event & US Online Offer // In Love with African Botanics Marula Intensive Skin Repair Balm

Products I Loved: I'm still trying to do what I can to get through my sample stash for the October Sampler, and it is hard. Haha. I liked the Skinfood Honey Black Tea Jelly Foam, but sadly the store was out of stock when I went to go buy it but I bought the Cleansing Milk instead!

Product Disappointments: Nothing too notable, but I ditched a few samples. I'm also sad to say that the Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum deluxe sample I finally finished wasn't terribly moisturizing and didn't seem to do much.

Beauty Purchases: I bought a Sephora brand concealer from the sale section with some store credit. I was going to say I haven't bought myself anything else this month, but then I realized that wasn't true because I used store credit to buy a lipstick and some hair things two weekends ago haha!

Added to the Wishlist: A billion far-too expensive candles as mentioned in my post earlier this week. Groan. They all seem too pretty, and I don't really have that many candles??

What products are on your radar this week? I'd love to know!