Paris Beauty Haul!

Let's keep it short and sweet. I was in Paris at the weekend. Here's what I bought:

Yes, I went a bit crazy. Mr P was off doing his own thing and I was left to my own devices for a whole Saturday morning. See what happens when I'm left alone?

 My first stop was the pharmacy in Monoprix, followed by a lengthy stop in Printemps, the unbelievably gorgeous department store which, to be honest, makes Selfridges look like Aldi. Then I finally made it to Sephora.

In no particular order, here is a summary of the damage I inflicted:

Ella Bache skincare from Printemps

In Printemps there was a small Ella Bache concession on the 1st floor. Ella Bache is now a very niche skincare brand which is very hard to come by. My mum used to use their products a long, long time ago and swore by them. We're talking about 20 + years ago here. Anyway, I saw them and thought I would make her a little present of some skincare goodies. I also bought myself two face masks. Seeing as it's almost impossible to find these products, even online, I opted for routine 'add ons' rather than staple products. I didn't want to get addicted to a face cream only to not be able to find it again.

The nice lady also threw in free full size hand creams, one for me and one for mum. I can report so far that it's one of the loveliest hand creams I've ever used :)

French pharmacy faves ; Caudalie hand cream and Eau de Beaute, Nuxe huile prodigieuse, Melvita Extraordinary Water

 In the pharmacy section in Monoprix I bought lots of goodies. Mainly stuff that I'd always wanted to try but never justified buying. Now I found that justification, being in Paris seems to justify a lot.

I put the Nuxe golden oil in my basket first, seeing as I'll be Australia at the end of the year I'm going to have enough tan time to get through the bottle. The Caudalie Eau de Beaute has had a lot of hype in the blogging world. I bought the mini bottle to try for myself. It's to be spritzed before or over make-up to add radiance. Also for radiance is the Melvita Extraordinary Water. I'd heard a lot about the Rose version, but the Narcissus bottle called to me for it's brightening properties. I used it for the first time this morning and it smells like spring in a bottle.

The only make-up item I picked up was the lip-gloss which matched my Dior Diablotine nail polish. I also tried the lipstick version but it was just a little strong for me and preferred the lightness of the gloss. The sparkles in it are just stunning.

My only make-up purchase, Dior Diablotine lip gloss

Erborian newbies: CC Creme HD and Eye BB creme

 Also in the pharmacy I picked up the Erborian Eye BB creme which I believe is relatively new. Regular readers will know that I will not be without the original Erborian BB creme, so I had to try the eye version. Review will be coming once I've used it on a daily basis. The Erborian CC creme you see next to it I picked up in Sephora and is literally fresh from the factory, it's that new. This is my first foray into the CC cream world so I'm very excited to see how this works for me. First impressions are that it's very different from the BB cream and is more akin to a tinted moisturiser.... but watch this space.

Some Diptyque lovelies: Eau de Tarocco (roll on), and Eau Lente (spray). With samples.

 Perhaps the most beautiful part of my shopping experience was my stop at the Dyptique concession in Printemps. A very nice man explained the Dyptique ethos and experience to me and helped me to choose a scent that would be most 'me'. I had Eau Lente on one wrist and Eau de Neroli on the other and I let them live with me for a few hours. I couldn't stop sniffing Eau Lente. I was in love. And Mr P fell in love with it too, so he took my back to the counter and we sniffed our way through the other bottles before deciding on Eau Lente and Eau de Tarocco (which he can also wear). How can I describe Eau Lente? Spicy, woody, sweet and sultry. There is a subtle smokiness about it and I think it's very sexy indeed. Eau de Tarocco is spicy with a hit of oranges which makes it fresh while adding depth. Mr P totally loved everything..... a rarity, as he's very very fussy about scent!

Algenist cleanser

While I was in Sephora I got chatting to the lady at the Algenist stand. Algenist is a relatively new San Francisco skincare brand utilising something called Alguronic acid, a patent pending ingredient akin to Hyularonic acid in that it's exceptionally hydrating and repairing. I thought I'd try out the cleanser seeing as I get through cleansers like water.

Elancyl hydrating body lotion and toning shower gel

Last but not least, I had to mention Elancyl body products as they have the most divine scent of any range I've ever tried. I used to use them while i was staying with Mr P in Rome and I remember how much I loved them. The shower gel in particular is addictive. Imagine you're a wood nymph taking a gentle shower underneath a waterfall and you can smell the sweetness of the flowers, trees and leaves which surround you in your grotto. That's right, it's sweet and 'green' smelling at the same time.... utterly blissful. I urge you to try the shower gel next time you're anywhere that stocks Elancyl. In the UK I believe they have it at the Garden Pharmacy in Covent Garden. In France and Italy it's pretty much everywhere.

Phew, so I guess that just about wraps up what I bought. I didn't talk about everything because you have lives to get on with, but I hope you enjoyed me sharing this you anyway.

Let me know if you've picked up anything nice recently!

Dior 'Prune Smoking'

I can't imagine a prune smoking, surely that would reduce it's health benefits.

Sorry, I'm totally sad, I know.

Anyway, this beautiful colour was a birthday gift from my lovely O. With my birthday being back in September it is quite shameful that I'm only posting it now, but to be fair I'd only used it on my toes so far and I would not ever, EVER inflict my feet on the internet. So once I got it on my fingers I got snap happy.

Dior - Prune Smoking

This is so chic. Undeniably so. It just oozes laid-back sophistication and implies that you do your weekly shop at Prada.

 This is essentially a blackened burgundy. It's got quite a strong brown-black base to it which keeps it original. This is a straight cream with no shimmer, my favourite kind of finish. Two coats plus top coat.

So yes, this is the colour Dior call 'Prune Smoking'.... and sniggers aside about the name,  I like it very much indeed.

June in Bengal - A Chanel comparison

So, Chanel have released their Spring collection and one of the nail polishes, June, has been much hyped as is usually the case with Chanel limited editions. The other shades, April and May will be part of the permanent collection so there is less fuss over those, but this year June is definitely busting out all over...

Last year,  it was instant love for me with Mimosa. The colour was so unique and summery and I really couldn't get it out of my head, even though the formula was total pants.

This year I'm feeling a bit 'meh' about these colours, but I went the other day to swatch June on my pinky and I realised that there was something about it that didn't look new to me. Something familiar.

The colour is a pale juicy cream apricot. It's pretty, and I like it, but in certain lights it looks like I tried to go 'nude' and got the colour a bit wrong, if you know what I mean.

Anyway I got home and found an old Chanel polish in my collection gifted to me by GG some years back. It's called Bengal and on swatching it next to June it's remarkably similar.

Chanel Bengal (ring finger), Chanel June (little finger)

 There is a difference of course, and Bengal has more pink in it to make it more of a peach rather than an apricot colour, but no one can deny they are very similar. Too similar for me to have both at any rate.

 Bengal has some shimmer and a touch of microglitter and requires 3 coats to achieve opacity. June is a cream with no shimmer and needs two coats. It's a good formula, way better than Mimosa was. But Mimosa still has my heart, despite it's formula flaws.

Bengal (left), June (right)

Looking back on my photos I realise that I do like June quite a lot, but with Bengal already in my collection I'm not sure I can justify buying it.

The Dior spring collection however has two absolute beauties which I'm drooling after and have nothing like in my stash:

What colours are you itching to wear on your nails this Spring?

Wishful thinking

I thought it would be fun to let my imagination run wild and compile a beauty wish-list.

Chanel Illusion d'Ombre eyeshadows. ALL OF THEM. They are amazing and versatile and every colour just stuns. If I had to pick a favourite it would be Illusoire, a purple taupe shot through with sparkle or Epatant, a greyish taupe with a green undertone and incredible sparkle. J'adore!!!!!!

Illusoire

Epatant

 

 

Dior Amber Diamond Highlighter

 

I've wanted this for like, forever. I have my huge MAC Mineralize Skinfinish which works perfectly well but somehow this calls to me.

Jennifer Lopez uses it. Now tell me I don't need it.

Dior Blush in Rose Vintage and Pink in Love

In my humble opinion I don't have enough blushers and I can't chose between these two newbies from the Dior Autumn/Winter Blue Tie collection. They both have a place in my fantasy make-up collection. 

Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes Mascara

I love the visual for this and the idea behind it....huge doll like batting lashes. Lancome mascaras have never ever let me down. I love the original Hypnose so I'm itching to try this. In fantasy land only because I have at least 4 mascaras to get through first.

Givenchy Dahlia Noir

This surprises me. I had a first sniff of these a few weeks back and thought... meh.... And then I had another sniff last week and thought.... hmmmm.... And then today I spritzed myself with it and thought.......aaaaaaaaaaaaa! It's one of those scents that creeps up on you. It's sweet and smoky at the same time. A floral scent with depth and sensuality. It's sexy but not in your face. I also love the packaging, it's clean and timeless. I think I'd love a body spray or lotion rather than the perfume as I think that this would work beautifully worn all over the body in a delicate layer of scent.

Elie Saab Le Parfum

This surprises me too! I thought I would hate it but it was love at first sniff. It reminds me a bit of the original Michael Kors perfume, so I'm figuring it has similar notes in it. This is seriously sexy and addictive. I couldn't stop smelling the tester. Again it's floral, but with a twist. I think this one is going to be a classic. The bottle is just gorgeous. I'd wear this with a ballgown and with nothing. Is there anything this man can't do?

It's just a coincidence that my birthday is next week. Honestly it is. :)

What's on your fantasy wish-list? Share the desire! 

Greeks bearing gifts!

In this case I had nothing to fear. My dear friend came to stay with me last week and decided not to bring a giant wooden horse (they've stopped selling them at Athens Airport duty free don't you know) but to bring me some beautiful make-up goodies instead. Swoon.....

From MAC she had bought me the new-ish mascara,  Haute and Naughty Lash,  which I was raving about when I saw how great it made her lashes look. It has two wands in one, if that makes sense. I couldn't photograph them together as each wand forms a part of the other and if you try and pull both out at once you end up in a mess with a wand in one hand and a bare stick in the other. So here are the too brushes photographed separately.

MAC Haute and Naughty Lash - lengthening wand

MAC Haute and Naughty Lash - volumising wand

I've used this a few times now and I like the double wand concept, it's fun and makes the mascara chore less boring. I wouldn't use it when I'm in a hurry as it doesn't really give me 'fast' volume and length, it takes some building up to do that. The lengthening wand gives pretty fluttering eyelashes which are perfect for a natural daytime look, but I like full-on thick, long lashes all the time so for me it's not quite enough. I tried using the volumising wand separately too, but this was unsatisfactory for me. Not enough length and separation. The lengthening wand is also supposed to be the lash separating one so I can see how they work well together. Overall the effect of both used together is quite good, but on me it's not as great as on my friend, proving that mascara suitability is totally a personal thing. You'd think that lashes are just, well, lashes and that what works for one will work for all, but this really isn't the case. I do like it though and will use it up happily. It doesn't flake or smudge which is a huge bonus. Score: 7/10

Also from MAC she bought me the Summer Stash crushed pigments from the Surf Baby collection. Now these I initially wasn't that interested in but OH MY GOD, they are just divine!  I'll let the swatches speak for themselves.

MAC Summer Stash

All four shades of Summer Stash swatched

Close-up of the violet-plum and golden-champagne shades

Close-up of the bronze-brown and palest pink-champagne shades

The colours don't seem to have names which is such a shame as you'll have to make do with my naff 1980's paint-chart colour descriptions. (Misty buff, anyone?)
We had a great deal of fun using the pigments to create the most stunningly elegant and expensive looking smokey eye. I can finally see why people use loose pigments, the effect on the skin is just something else, another level of quality. The texture of these ones is different to the regular MAC pigment powders. As you can see from the photo above, they are like little pots of dust and rubble. I won't lie, they are difficult to apply without making a complete mess. I actually think that using them wet will minimise the fall-out and stop you looking like a human disco ball. I also think that applying them with fingers may also work, at least just to lay down the colour. I used a combination of blending brushes and flat eyeshadow brushes and although they blend like a dream I just could not minimise the amount of fall-out. So absolutely, definitely use them BEFORE you put on your foundation as you're going to have to clean your face of glitter once you've finished your eyes. This is not for when you're in a hurry. The colours are so versatile and work equally well applied on their own or blended together. It is worth checking them out next time you go to MAC. I'm in love with them and hope to be putting them to good use this summer. Score 9/10

Last but not least came the new Diorskin Nude Glow Healthy Glow Summer Powder in Aurora (phew.... ). I blogged about seeing this about two weeks ago and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I told my friend and the sweetheart bought it for me.

Dior Healthy Glow Summer Powder in Aurora

One of the prettiest compacts this summer, n'est-ce pas?

 

 

 This will probably be my most used product this summer. I'm not a fan of full-on bronzers but this is pale enough to be applied liberally and haphazardly to provide that gorgeous summer glow without looking like an extra from The Only Way is Essex. It is slightly shimmery, but it needs that touch of shimmer to give that 'glow'. I normally prefer bronzing powders to be matte, but this is somehow a hybrid between bronze, blush and radiance powder so it gets away with it. It is beautiful to look it, beautiful to hold, and luxurious to use. The brush it comes with is beautifully soft and a welcome change to the scratchy cheap brushes that usually come with compacts. It's a bit small to sweep all over the face, but for cheek top-ups on the go it's perfect. I've been sweeping it all over my face over my BB cream with my Ecotools blusher brush, concentrating it on my cheeks. The colour on me is a peachy pale bronze and I can skip blusher if I want to go for an au-naturel California beach babe type look. Very apt as I'll be in California in three weeks and this baby is definitely coming with me. Score 10/10

Thank you, my dearest darling friend for these wonderful presents! A gift of beauty is a joy forever :)

The Happy Wanderer

As soon as I was old enough to go wandering about the shops on my own without supervision (although Mr P would probably argue that I should never be left unsupervised....)  I would immediately hit Superdrug and linger about the aisles looking at make-up, perfume, shower gel and whatever else they had until security would start hovering around me waiting for this awkward, frizzy haired, over-sized teenage girl to pilfer the latest Rimmel lipstick and start running.

That would never happen of course. I can't run for a start.

Nowadays I can safely say that nothing has changed. My wanderings will inevitably take me towards a retailer of cosmetic goods like a moth to a flame. I can't help it, it's always been the way that I relax and de-stress. It's not the purchasing that I love, it's the browsing, choosing, selecting, trying, swatching, deciding....

(Actually that's a lie, I love the purchasing too :))

So the other day, I went wandering once again and I thought that I would share my thoughts on what I found and not make it an entirely wasted trip.

First stop was the department store and the Guerlain counter. I use the word counter in the loosest possible terms, as it's basically a mounted display where you pretty much serve yourself unaided, a bit like the more budget brands would have. Anyhow, Guerlain had their summer collection out which, as in every year, is pretty much dominated by the Terracotta stuff, a whole gamut of products to bronze you up in ways which you never knew existed; sprays, compacts, lotions, creams, body balms... you name it. I, however, was drawn by the new and limited edition Ombre Fusion cream eyeshadows which were packaged a little bit like lipglosses.

Guerlain Ombre Fusion Cream Eyeshadow - Summer 2011

There were 3 gorgeous shades, one pinkish, one bronzy-ish, and one khaki-ish (don't you just love my colour descriptions?). I swatched them all, and I loved them all. The colours were so easy to wear, perhaps the khaki one being my absolute favourite. The texture was creamy and blendable and the colour seemed to stay put. All three colours are slightly shimmery and the khaki and bronze shades are shot through with a gorgeous golden shimmer which I can imagine looking fantastic with a tan but also would work pretty well in the winter too. I love cream eyeshadows like this, they are so useful to pop into your travel make-up bag, no brushes required, maximum impact, minimum effort. Methinks I feel my wallet rumbling....

Also at Guerlain I spied the new Terra Inca compact, a hefty round wooden compact with beautiful engraving on the top encasing a gorgeous shimmery powder.

Very beautiful, very very expensive, and sadly not very versatile in my humble opinion. If only it had been matte.... There is a lot of product here and a lot of shimmer and I can't imagine how anyone would ever get value for money from it other than as a collectors' item. Unless of course you are permanently bronzed and you wish to use it all over the body too. This is a gorgeous, soft textured powder which creates a beautiful amber-bronze shimmer. In small doses as a highlighter it would be wonderful, and maybe as a blush, but I would absolutely not use it liberally as a bronzer, it's just too shimmery.

Moving over to Clinique I saw the new Moisture Surge tinted moisturiser and swatched that too. It was far more matte than I thought it would be and also looked like it had a decent amount of coverage, far more than my No7 tinted moisturiser which I bought about two months ago.

 
Obviously I can't say what it looks like on the face, but the texture and blendability looked very promising. I'm loving Clinique at the moment since I was introduced to the Liquid Facial Soap and the All About Eyes cream, both of which I'm really pleased with. I think that I'll be buying this once I've run out of the No7 one, although since my discovery of BB cream I'm not sure that's really going to be anytime soon.

Next stop Dior, and I was admiring the new palettes in Rosy Nude and Rosy Tan. Both very versatile and oh-so feminine.

Rosy Nude

Rosy Tan

Rosy Nude is more suited to paler complexions, and Rosy Tan would pretty much work on anyone. Gorgeous textures, smooth and creamy and easy to blend and very pigmented. Both would be wonderful on brides and bridesmaids. For excellent swatches check out the amazing and very dedicated KarlaSugar!

Another gorgeous palette was the DiorSkin Nude Glow Healthy Glow Summer (long, I know... ). I think this may be my bronzer of choice this summer, seeing as I've all but given up on my Bourjois Delice de Poudre (or Delice de Useless as I've decided to call it). There are two shades of this Healthy Glow compact, Aurora for pale complexions and Sunset for medium to dark skintones. Both are just stunning, with a satin finish and a barely there hint of shimmer which is almost undetectable on the skin. I'm in love.... and the packaging!! This is absolutely worth checking out.

DiorSkin Healthy Glow in Sunset

I popped into Ici Paris (for those of you unfamiliar with my blog it's one of the main cosmetics retailers here in Belgium) and had a nosey about there too. I had a sniff of a few perfumes, most notably Un Jardin Sur Le Toit (A Garden on the Roof!) by Hermes which I loved on first sniff.....

after about half an hour however I could smell more roof than garden and the dry down was not flattering on me at all, becoming quite harsh and masculine.

Remembering that it's Father's Day soon, I decided to buy my dad some cologne seeing as he gets through the stuff like water. I chose a fresh and non-offensive one called Eau des Minimes by the little known brand Le Couvent des Minimes, a French botanical cosmetics company, a little like L'Occitane with monks added.

Anything that's got that air of 'made by monks and nuns' seems like a good bet for an original gift, don't you think? Just think of the lure of the Farmacia of Santa Maria Novella in Florence....

I asked them to gift wrap the cologne. They did. It now looks like a gift for a 5 year girl, all pink butterfly wrapping paper and pink ribbons. Oh well, my dad needs to get in touch with his feminine side I suppose.