Thursday, July 31, 2014

Kérastase Densifique Haircare Collection

Kerastase's new launch, the Densifique haircare collection features three new products, and one salon exclusive treatment, that help transform limp, lifeless locks by adding moisture and natural volume.  I've been trying out the collection for a while now and here are my thoughts on the Shampoo, Masque and the Mousse! *Press Samples



Densifique Bain Densité,($39; www.kerastase-usa.com) is a rich, creamy shampoo formulated with Ceramides and Hyaluronic Acid, that cleanses without stripping. Its a sulfate-based cleanser and a very concentrated one, so you need just a little bit every time. It lathers really well and washes off easily without any sort of a residue behind, so I absolutely love it. The Shampoo is my favorite from the collection. This alone leaves my hair soft, detangled and less frizzy than normal.



Masque Densité  ($62.50; www.kerastase-usa.com) is a gel-cream mask with a beautiful texture that combines Gluco-Peptides and Hyaluronic Acid to leave hair moisturized and super smooth. Its quite a rich mask that has a bit of slip to the texture and leaves hair super smooth. I use it about once or twice a week, as I feel like it can be a little too much when used everyday, especially since the Shampoo itself is quite rich. The masque is pricey, but a little bit does a very long way, so the small-ish jar should last a while. Kerastase recommends massaging it from roots to ends, but I only use it on the lower half of my hair and avoid the roots as my hair gets a bit too greasy pretty soon.





Densimorphose  Mousse ($42; www.kerastase-usa.com) is a root-lifting, volume enhancing mousse that helps pump up volume instantly without the heavy feel. I don't use too many mousse-like products for my hair on a regular basis, I do prefer lightweight serums, but this one is quite light and easy to work with. I needed less than half a squirt and it gave me a subtle root lift and good volume without any crunchiness or frizziness.




Overall, while I haven't seen any new hair growth as claimed, I do love the line for the way it adds a natural looking shine and bounce to my hair. It adds volume by keeping the frizziness out and leaves hair easy to manage even without much styling. My favorite product is the Shampoo - if you have moderately fine hair, the shampoo alone will take care of adding volume, moisturizing and leaving hair generally very manageable. Its nice to have a clarifying shampoo handy since the richer texture of these products can lead to a bit of build up overtime. The Densifique range is pretty strongly scented, but I do like the scent so it doesn't bother me much. If you don't like too much fragrance in your haircare, that's one to make note of. That apart, its a luxurious range to try, especially if you are looking to add a bit of bounce and natural shine to your hair. The shampoo especially is great if you do a lot of heat styling on a regular basis.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

L'Occitane Roses et Reines

L'Occitane's Roses et Reines is a new collection that features fragrance, bath and body products in the most amazing, feminine and comforting scent of roses. I love rose based scents just about any time of the year. I could wear them anywhere, anytime and is also one of my top choices for a transitional scent while moving from summer to fall.  *Press Samples




Two fabulous products I tried from the collection are the Eau De Toilette ($50; usa.loccitane.com) and the Hand and Nail Cream ($12 for travel size; usa.loccitane.com). The EDT blends notes from four variety of roses (from Bulgaria, Turkey, Grasse and Morocco) along with bergamot, blackcurrant, white cedar and citrus. The opening is beautifully floral with just a touch of citrus. It all dries down to a powdery, soft rose scent with hints of musk that lingers around for hours together. Roses et Reines is a very feminine scent that is both elegant and fresh. If you are into florals, or like me, love anything roses, its well worth checking out. The scent is also quite similar to Rose des Champs, also by L'Occitane that was a limited edition release a couple of years ago.






The Hand and Nail Cream that comes in a full and travel size is a light, quick absorbing cream that is great for the daytime. Its not as rich as L'Occitane's classic Shea Butter cream, but manages to moisturize hands and cuticles without leaving a greasy film behind, so its better suited for when the weather isn't too dry. The scent is quite strong though, but its a scent I love so that doesn't bother me. Overall, I can't rave enough about Roses et Reines and want to check out the Shower Gel once the collection launches in store tomorrow (July 30th)!




What are your thoughts on Roses et Reines by L'Occitane?

Monday, July 28, 2014

Tom Ford Lip Color Shine in Nubile

Tom Ford's Lip Color in Shine in Nubile ($50; shop.nordstrom.com), is a sheer, rosy brown, a fabulous nude that I love to pair with a stronger/smokey eye. The Lip Shine range features sheer, balmy, moderately pigmented lipsticks with a slight glossy finish, which seemed like something I'd reach out to a lot more than a fully pigmented lipstick.



Nubile looks and swatches like a gorgeous rosy brown, but goes on much lighter on my pigmented lips. The texture is smooth, creamy and feels comfortable & hydrating on the lips. It can melt a bit in the summer though, so I wouldn't leave it any place warm. The packaging is beautifully classy and very sleek. Compared to some other sheer-ish lipsticks formulas, like the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines and the YSL Rouge Volupte Shines or the YSL Sheer Candy Balms, this one feels a little more heavy and slick. Its also a little more glossy compared to the Burberry Lip Mists, but on the lips, YSL's versions look equally glossy. Nubile does have a little bit of very finely scattered shimmer, but nothing gritty and most importantly, nothing is left behind once the color fades.







Like most sheer lipsticks, I get about 2-3 hours of wear time and my lips don't feel dry after. As to whether it is worth the $50, depends on how much use you'd get out of the color. As for me, I would rather wear a nude or a sheer pink much more than I would wear a Red, so Nubile is something I would get a lot of use out of. The color borders on washing me out just a tad, so I much prefer pairing it with a smokey eye or at least with quite a bit of kohl smudged along the lash and waterline. The Lip Shines also have a slight vanilla scent which I quite like. Color wise, Nubile is a tad similar to YSL's Rouge Volupte Shine in Nude in Private when swatched, but they look very different on my lips - YSL's is a little more wearable on me. Formula wise though, I prefer Tom Ford's version a little more.




What do you think of Tom Ford's Lip Color Shine in Nubile?

Yes To Coconut | Head To Toe Restoring Balm and Polishing Body Scrub

Yes To Coconuts, is a new addition to the Yes To line of bath and body products. The range features a blend of natural moisturizers like coconut and almond oil, along with shea and cocoa butters to deeply moisturize very dry skin. I tried out two products from the line - the Head To Toe Restoring Balm ($9.99; target.com), an all purpose balm/salve for dry areas like elbows, heels and all over the body and a Polishing Body Scrub ($7.99; target.com), a sugar scrub with Organic Coconut and Almond Oil.  *Press Samples








The Head To Toe Balm is quite a thick, waxy balm in the tub that melts quickly upon application. Its quite rich and creamy, texture wise, and takes a while to completely absorb. Yes To has also included an applicator for this product, which I haven't used and don't think I ever will, but the product itself is best applied with your fingers like any other balm/salve. I've used it for my cuticles and feet so far and really like the results. It does a great job of moisturizing and keeps skin looking healthy and soft. Definitely something I look forward to using more, come winter. The Polishing Body Scrub on the other hand is quite light - it has medium sized exfoliating particles (coconut husk, sugar) that do a nice job of polishing. It is quite a chunky consistency, but washes off clean without making the bathroom floor/bath tub slippery.  Its not something I'd recommend if you are looking for a stronger exfoliator as its quite mild. It does leave a light layer of moisture behind, but I did definitely need to use some lotion afterwards.







Both products have a very strong, coconut vanilla scent. Its not a true coconut scent, but close, quite sweet and liners around for a while. Of the two products I tried, I like the Head To Toe Balm better and would recommend if you are looking for a natural, all purpose body balm for dry skin!

Barielle Summer 2014 The Keys Collection

Barielle ($8 each; barielle.com) has a new summer collection out which features six vibrant, bright shades in a mix of creme and shimmer finishes. The colors are beautiful, although not very unique and the formula of these were great. Here are some quick swatches with all of them being two coats. *Press Samples





A couple of colors look quite close to one another and even on my nails the difference is barely there. The formula on all of these were quite nice and very easy to work with. Great consistency too - the cremes especially were not too thick, and all colors level themselves out very well without any bubbling or cuticle pooling. Its a nice collection, but I do wish there were a couple of unique colors since I've seen these sort of colors from Barielle before. Paradise In The Tropics has got to be my favorite of the six!

Friday, July 25, 2014

Two Fabulous Products I'm Loving For My Lashes Right Now

Here's a fabulous lash duo to try if you have short, stubby, almost non-existent lashes like mine. I can't go without curling my lashes before any mascara, although some like the new Dior It Lash do the job for me decently without one. Otherwise, I reach out to my lash curler almost every time before mascara. My current favorite lash duo for length, volume and curl is the Dior Backstage Lash Curler ($23; shop.nordstrom.com) followed by Guerlain's Maxi Lash Mascara ($30; shop.nordstrom.com).





Both do a great job of what they are supposed to do. The curler is gentle on my lashes and doesn't pinch. The mascara is a tad more of a wet formula that gets better with use, but doesn't smudge or flake. It does clump quite a bit, so its nice to have a lash comb handy. As for volume and length, it sure is one of my favorites I've tried so far. Two coats gives close to dramatic results and one coat is just enough to add natural looking volume and a bit of length without making lashes stiff!

What are you loving for your lashes right now?

L'Occitane Verbena Frisson

L'Occitane launches a new variation of their classic Verbena scent each year, and this summer, its the limited edition Frisson de Verveine, a cool, energizing citrus with Organic Verbena Extract from Provence, blended with fresh spring water.  *Press Samples





Its a nice twist on the original Verbena, Frisson de Verveine being more of a sweet citrus with aquatic notes. It is much less tart than the original Verbena, but has the same zestfulness with a hint of sweetness that makes it a light and fresh scent for summer. The scent of the EDT ($55; usa.loccitane.com) doesn't change much throughout the day and when layered over the Cooling Body Gel, lasts about 5-6 hours on me. The Body Gel ($25; usa.loccitane.com) is quite a light lotion that absorbs super quick and is not one bit greasy or heavy. It is quite light though, so perfectly suited for the hot and humid weather. Overall, a summer scent you just can't go wrong with and if you are a citrus lover, definitely check Verbena Frisson out! Verbena Frisson also comes as a Shower Gel, Refreshing Mist, Hand Cream and an Ice Gel for Legs & Feet!

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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

NARS Night Caller Fall 2014 Color Collection | Satin Lip Pencil in Bansar and Blush in Unlawful

Just a quick post to share some thoughts, photos & swatches of two pieces from NARS' nine piece Night Caller Collection for Fall. I have here Unlawful blush ($30; narscosmetics.com), a medium pink with silver shimmer and Satin Lip Pencil in Bansar ($25; narscosmetics.com), a creamy rose brown. *New info from NARS - unfortunately, the Matte Multiple in Mauritanie will not be included as part of the collection, due to a production issue. For a similar look, NARS suggests trying out the ‘Nā Pali Coast Matte Multiple!* *Press Samples





Unlawful is a rather nice color for most skin tones. Although quite sheer for NARS' blush standards, the intensity is buildable. There is quite a bit of shimmer in there, but the texture is still nice and easy to blend without any patchiness. The color is quite effortless to wear, doesn't need to be toned down too much and adds a light wash of pink to my cheeks. I used it with NARS' Yachiyo brush and the finish was quite nice with very little to no glitter being translated onto my cheeks. 







Bansar is quite a deep, brownish rose with a super creamy formula and great color payoff. It does look a little more brown than rose on my skintone. The formula is great though - I love NARS' Satin Lip pencils in general. I prefer Bansar as a sheer wash than how it looks when applied directly on the lips. That said, I think its the perfect fall rose-brown and a fabulous pick for most medium/dark skin tones!





NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Bansar, Blush in Unlawful

Wearing the NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Bansar, Blush in Unlawful


What are your thoughts on NARS' Fall Night Caller Collection?