Is it just me, or has this year's "holiday season" been lacking the Christmassy spirit? My friend Danny put it very well saying that finals "ruin the lead up to Christmas," and I have to agree with him. So, today, to pump up the holiday cheer I decided (with the help of my family) to kick the festivities into full gear by whipping up a batch of cookies and slipping into some cozy attire. Read on for my a few of my essentials (all product information at end of post).
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Ask any non-fashion-devotee who Phillip Lim, Helmut Lang, or Isabel Marant are and you’re most likely going to get nothing but a confused stare, cocked head, and silence. Now, ask about Chanel and suddenly you’ll see a hint of recognition flicker through their glossy eyes. Over the past century Chanel has become a household name –the “McDonalds of the fashion world” if you will (not to be confused with Moschino’s Fall 2014 RTW that did in fact feature McDonalds themed clothing).
Taking a trip to Chanel’s Soho Store on Spring Street, one gets a small glimpse into the empire. Before entering the shop the trendy SoHo streets prepare you for what you’re about to feast your eyes upon: decadence and luxury at its finest. In fact, street vendors lined along Soho’s trottoirs taut Chanel knock-off sunglasses and other designer brands by the bucket load – further propelling the coveted designer image. If any of you have had to battle of the horrifying combination of summer heat and humidity, you've more than likely tried your fair share of mattifying products by this point in life. I'm happy to report that I've found a combination of mattifying products that have proven their worth in the crazy hot box that is New York during the Summer.
The first is, Embryolisse's Emulsion Hydra-Mat. Bought during my stint abroad in Paris, this moisturizer is definitely on the pricey side ($40) but it really does the trick when it comes to combating shine. It's a gel formula so feels really cooling and smooth on the skin. Honestly, what attracted me when I was looking at this in City Pharma (a must-go if you're looking for discounted French pharmacy brands) is that it's formulated without parabens and also doesn't seem to have any silicones in it based on its ingredients list. Plus, it's not tested on animals which is a huge plus! It contains a lot of really great moisturizing ingredients like Apricot Oil so it nourishes my skin while mattifying it. The only downside to this as a daily moisturizer is that it doesn't contain any SPF, so definitely remember to apply some before you go out! Next up is Tarte's Aqualillies for Tarte Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder, quite a mouthful, but definitely great for really eliminating shine. I use this product when I really want my skin to stay matte throughout the day and often dust a light layer of this powder on after applying liquid or even powder foundation. It leaves a really matte but not powdery effect on the skin. Sometimes I even think it gives a nice airbrushed finish too! I tend to save this one for really hot, sweaty days because it can be a tad drying at times, but overall, it's an amazing, super shine-nixing formula! How do you battle the summer heat? This year I found a lipstick that blew the "perfect red lip myth" out of the water and made it a reality. Dare I say that Mac's RiRi Woo* changed my life and made me fall head over heels in love with matte lips? All that and more, this retro matte "vivid cool red" applies gorgeous 50's-style color straight from its rose gold bullet exterior.
Unfortunately, a light layer of balm is recommended before slapping this baby on, after doing this prep step this lipstick wears beautifully and feels great for hours (although a slight bit drying at those times when my lips are not at their juiciest). Plus, the blue tones in this eye-popping red make my teeth look slightly less yellow. Not for the faint of heart, this lipstick is as matte as they come, bold, and really gives you that "bam I'm wearing red lipstick" confidence. It's an old Hollywood red that'll have you channeling the grace of Audrey Hepburn, the elegance of Grace Kelley, and the sensuality of Elizabeth Taylor. *RiRi Woo was part of Mac's "Rihanna Hearts Mac" collection which released in Fall 2013 and is sadly, no longer available. However, RiRi Woo was inspired by Mac's Ruby Woo and is almost an exact dupe. I've linked to Mac's Ruby Woo in the link above. Some of you might save the heavy duty lip balms for the winter but I'm all about lip balm all year round. Having just come back from France I can tell you there were a plethora of beauty products I was dying to get my hands on. The first thing on my hit list? Nuxe Reve de Miel Ultra-Nourishing lip balm. A lightweight, luxurious pot of perfection that has been "tested in the great Canadian cold" (yes, the back of the package actually says this).
I love that has a matte finish. Yes, folks, a matte finish. This may not seem like much but for me, a lip balm with a matte finish is essential, I don't like my lip balms turning to gloss or adding any shine because almost every single time I wear a lip color I'm wearing a balm under it and if I want it glossy, I'll go for a glossy lip color. Applying it is really nice. It comes in a pot which means it's not great for travel, but I use this mostly as my night time lip balm (my lip night cream if you will?) so it keeps it from getting too gross. Also, I quite like the action of putting this lip balm on with my fingers, it almost feels like a little manual exfoliation thrown into the mix. It's a really nice, no frills balm that nourishes the lips with honey, plant oils, grapefruit essence, and shea butter. Although it's pretty pricey for a lip balm (I got it for 9 euro but it's sold for $19.00 on Nuxe's website), I think it was worth the purchase (and the trip to France?). What are your lip balm favorites? I'll be the first one to tell you that I would and most definitely do, rock a sun dress in the dead of winter. That being said, I do enjoy a light warm breeze through an A-line hem, on tight-less legs -- something only summer lends to a dress. So this summer I've decided to feature a visual firecracker of a dress: The Kate Spade Petal Floral Sonja Dress. It's an absolutely beautiful dress that falls just below the knee and looks amazingly flattering on (as you can see on my gorgeous sister modeling!). This 50s style dress is the perfect summer stunner for anyone who isn't into the "typical" summer dress and wants a bit more weight and structure to their warm-weather frock. I imagine this dress will come in handy at my next beach party in the Hamptons...which I'm sure will happen sometime in the foreseeable future...right?
To go with the dress, try slinging a cute brown leather purse over your shoulder. We opted for this vintage Cartier purse* that we found thrifting around town one day. Thrifting is one of my favorite things to do; you can find incredible pieces for amazing prices. Plus, I have to admit it's pretty fun to call dibs on that one-of-a-kind jacket and make all your friends jealous. Now for the underdog of the look that packs a serious punch and honestly, could be featured on its own. The shoes. A glorious pair of Kimchi Blue Sandals found at Urban Outfitters. These are the perfect summer-but-not-summer sandal, that, A. Doesn't leave you going foot-commando to the world, and, B. Has a handy heel-strap that makes them über comfy to walk around town in. Finally, onto the makeup, which, in my opinion, is the icing on the cake to a great look. For this, I reached for the YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain Rebel Nudes in 104 Fuchsia Tomboy. It's part of YSL's new nude glossy stains collection that is anything but boring. I decided to try it out today and I have to say I think I'm liking it the color and staying power! I'll do a separate post on this soon but it's a gorgeous fuchsia shade that I personally like to apply and then pat with my finger to take away some of the shine. To warm up the face, I lightly applied both the shades in Elf's Contouring Blush & Bronzer duo in the shade St. Lucia onto my sister's cheeks and under her cheekbones. This duo has pretty good, blendable pigmentation (especially the bronzer) and at $3 a pop it's such a steal! So there you have it, a festive and vibrant look that is perfect for many a summer shindig. Now, I just need to find a house in the Hamptons to wear it too... What are your favorite summer festivity pieces? *Since the Cartier purse is pretty old, it's no longer sold by Cartier so I did a little digging and I found a very similar purse on Ebay which you can find here. It's pretty pricey though but I'm sure if you take a bit of time to peruse the net you can find an equally cute purse like this one! *I got the Kimchi Blue Sandals from Urban Outfitters about 2 months ago and I can't seem to find them online. Kimchi Urban Outfitters however, is having a big sale right now and I'm sure if you're looking for sandals like these you can find something similar there! To go to urban's sale website click here. It's finally summer and maybe I should be busting out my woven handbags and Gladiator sandals but for some reason, I'm far too in love with my monochromatic tones and classic reds to trade them in for pastels just yet. So here it is: my "Accessories Post", which highlights a few chosen tidbits that I have been loving as of late. This time around, I feature my handbag, the newest collection to my small, but utilitarian shoe collection, and a nail polish for a little pizzazz.
Black on red is such a classic color combo, so when I picked up these Nine West Peep-Toe Suede Flats* I immediately ran to my bathroom cabinet and searched for the perfect red nail color to wear with these babies. I opted for Chanel's Le Vernis Nail Color in 677 Rouge Rubis. This vernis is the perfect classic red that goes on beautifully opaque and glossy with one coat. I love the way this nail color looks against the black suede flats. Want to know what I love even more? The "pseudo-sandal" qualities of these flats --they're cute and airy and show just enough of your paws so that you're not going full on foot all around town. By my side I have my hold-all, Kate Spade Cedar Street Maise bag in the color Clock Tower. I found it on tremendous sale and it is now my go-to bag. It is the perfect size and fits everything that I could possibly need while being small enough to keep me from over packing the living hell out of it (which I tend to do). I love the light gray coloring of this bag --it goes with everything but because of it's classic shape it can be used casually and in the office. Plus, it's made of crosshatched leather which makes it extremely durable so it's easy to clean and won't scratch! So, I find these accessories the best of both worlds: airy, day, office, and night-time appropriate flats (with a cute pop of color on the toe nails), and a versatile classic-cut bag. It may not scream summer but hey, I'm easin' into it! *I got the Nine West Peep-Toe Suede Flats at the Nine West Outlet and unfortunately, I can't find them on their website. I've found a pair of black leather peep-toe flats from Nine West that are really similar apart from the Suede. I hope this helps if you're looking for a pair like mine! (To be directed to the website click on the hyperlink above) You may not know this yet but you are soon to find out that I am pretty obsessed with the makeup frenzy that has been sweeping YouTube for the past few years. It started off with the beautiful, FleurdeForce, and from there, I branched out to Ingrid from missglamorazzi, then Tanya Burr, and now I follow a dozen makeup "gurus".
Over the past few months I've been hearing a lot about Models-Own nail polish, particularly from the makeup youtubers I follow who are from the UK. After hearing all the chitter -chatter about this nail polish, I was ecstatic (naturally) when my aunt got back from London and gave me a bottle of Models-Own Nail Polish (in the shade Apple Pie) as a gift from her travels. Enough of my jabbering, let's get on with the review: The shade (Apple Pie) is a light minty color which is very similar to Essie's "Absolutely Shore". In all honesty, I'm not a huge nail polish fan as I play guitar and use my hands a lot so my nail polish ALWAYS chips. But, I do appreciate a few coats of nail polish on the occasion and getting the Models-Own nail polish as a gift seemed as good a reason as any to paint my nails again. First off, the packaging is really sleek. Before I tried the actual polish, the packaging had me thinking "this is gonna be some good nail polish" because it looks pretty trendy and high-end if you ask me. The color is pretty opaque --I stopped at two coats and was satisfied with the opacity. It's an adorable color and I think the shade really compliments a tan (alright I'm not that sun-kissed but I'm tanner than I normally am I swear!). The color is slightly greener than Essie's "Absolutely Shore", which I personally prefer. It lasts about 4-5 days before any chipping starts but I haven't been playing guitar these past few days so I imagine if I had I would have chipped the first day. It's pretty long-wearing though, which is nice. PLUS! This nail polish is scented. Yes, you heard me, it's scented. Now, why anybody would want to encourage people to sniff nail polish is beyond me, but low and behold this nail polish does smell like apples. Chemically modified apples, but apples nonetheless. Honestly, the scented quality of the nail polish intrigued me at first and I could definitely smell it as I was painting my nails, but after I'd applied my top coat and let my nails dry the scent got really annoying. I don't know about you, but I am a face and hair toucher...I use my hands to express my ideas all the time so my hands get near my face hundreds of times throughout the day. With this polish on, I was constantly smelling the chemical apple scent and after a few hours it started to give me a bit of a headache. However, it wasn't unbearable, and the next day the scent had diminished quite a bit. I actually sort of like the "day after" scent of the polish on my nails. When I smell my nails I do smell a slight appley scent which is pretty sweet (pun, get it?) but I imagine it looks pretty strange to any onlookers staring at a girl sniffing her fingers... Overall, I like the nail polish. It's really pretty and I have to say I really really like the packaging. It's pretty long-wearing and the shade is really in and wearable. So tell me guys, what do you think of the Models-Own nail polishes? We are now in thick of summer and I'm sure each and every one of us has learned that sweat, oil, and makeup do not mix. I am ashamed to say I have experienced one too many hot summer days where I find my mascara on my cheek by mid-afternoon. After quite of bit of product testing, I have found 6 holy grail products that get me through the summer season.
The Canvas No one wants to look like a cake face in the middle of July so I always opt for a lightweight mineral foundation. Tarte’s Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation offers great medium but buildable coverage but looks and feels weightless on the skin. Tarte's products are also formulated without parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, triclosan, or other toxic substances, so you can feel good about what you're putting on your on your face! The Shadow When it comes to makeup in warm weather I like to keep it minimal but polished and definitely smudge free. Maybelline’s Color Tattoo 24h Cream Gel Shadow in "Bad to the Bronze" offers intense color and hours of wear, a true "oldie but a goodie" item for me. The best thing about it is, one swipe of this will give your eyes some beautiful definition and won’t sweat off in the heat. The Liner For $4.50 a pop the Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliners can’t be beat. These soft kohl liners won’t budge whether they’re on your lid or in your waterline! Personally, I like to tight-line my eyes with this liner in the shade "Black". It gives the appearance of thicker lashes without any obvious liner on your lid! The Flush I always gravitate toward my cream products to create a very natural and dewy looking finish to my skin for the spring and summer months. To achieve that just-been-kissed glow, I lightly stipple on Tarte's Lip & Cheek Stain. I'm loving the color "Blissful" at the moment. Tarte's website describes it as a "warm peach" but I see it more as a very peachy coral shade. Nevertheless, it provides the most beautiful radiant glow to the cheeks and I think the shade would look ravishing on a number of different skin tones. The Lips I like to keep things light and breezy on my lips, especially during the summer, so I tend to steer clear of any goopy glosses or thick lipsticks. To achieve the perfect “flush of color” I always grab my Votre Vu French Kiss Lip Stick in Margaux (votrevu.com). I lightly swipe the creamy, vitamin E and natural plant wax formula on my lips and sheer it out with my fingers to create the perfect berry-stain. Plus, with SPF 8, this lip product also protects you from the sun’s rays. And hey, if I get a little "French kiss" action in this lippie I won't be complainin'. The Touch Up Toward the end of a hot day as my skin starts to look and feel a bit greasy, I always reach for Clean & Clear’s Oil Absorbing Sheets. There are a lot of oil-absorbing sheets on the market today but these are far my favorite. These little blue rectangles are really durable and absorb all the excess oil on my face without disrupting my makeup -definitely a summer must-have! Well, there you have it! 6 of my holy-grail products that get me through the hottest season of the year. So here's to a summer full of outdoor adventures, fireworks, beach bonfires, and red, white, and blue Turbo Rocket popsicles! And now to you! What are some of your summer beauty products? |