Alaïa Paris Eau de Parfum by Azzedine Alaïa

Alaia Paris Eau de Parfum ($116 for 1.6 oz; $150 for 3.3 oz; saksfifthavenue.com) is the first and newest fragrance launch by Tunisian born Parisian Couturier Azzedine Alaia, a beautiful floral musk composition with notes of airy pink pepper, freesia, violet, white musk, leather and rose. 

The packaging is gorgeous in black and gold. The bottle is weighty, luxurious and very classy. Alaia opens up with very floral notes of peony and rose, with a hint of the pink pepper. As it dries down, I get more of the violet, mixed in with the creamy musk and leather. The dry down is quite unique with hints of both musk and the florals, very cozy for fall yet quite sweet without moving into the cloying territory. I found the longevity to be quite good, 6-7 hours on a not so hot and humid day. Alaia is more of a grown up scent, definitely one to add to your fall fragrance list if you like slightly heavier scents that get softer as the day goes by. The pink pepper definitely adds a unique zestiness that comes out once in a while, but everything else about Alaia is just as it is described to be -  sophisticated, soft and a good classic floral musk that you just can’t go wrong with for this time of the year.

*Press Sample

Smashbox LA Lights Blendable Lip & Cheek Color - Hollywood & Highlight, Venice Beach Bronze, Beverly Hills Blush

Smashbox LA Lights Blendable Lip and Cheek Color ($29; sephora.com) is a multipurpose blush/lip tint for quick touchups. The formula is easy to use, pretty lightweight and blendable. The packaging is very compact, travel friendly and comes with a sponge tip on one side to blend the color out.

I tried three of five shades from the range - Hollywood & Highlight, a champagne sheen shimmer, Venice Beach Bronze, a shimmery golden bronze and Beverly Hills Blush, a mid tone pink. The formula was consistent with all three and the colors are beautiful as cream blushes, alone or layered. I did find them a bit drying on the lips though, unless used under a gloss. While I do think the sponge tip applicator is a nice addition, I much prefer using my fingers to blend these out. They are quite easy to work with, maybe a little more easier on well moisturized skin, don’t fade very much through the day and the colors are gorgeous as blushes and as highlights with a very nicely buildable intensity! Beverly Hills Blush especially is a shade that is definitely worth checking out! 

*Press Samples

Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Rose Gold Accent | Laura Mercier Candleglow Luminizing Collection

Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Rose Gold Accent ($25; lauramercier.com; press sample) is a gorgeous new limited-edition layering gloss from the Candleglow Luminizing Collection. The gloss is a non-sticky, super sparkly, pink and gold shimmer that adds a ton of dimension to lip colors and works best for me when layered.Rose Gold Accent comes in the Lip Glace formula which is quite scented, but lightweight and decently long wearing. I love to top this over pinks and nudes mostly, but I’m sure it would make for a beautiful combination with a lot of red and berry tones as well. The shimmer does get left behind once the gloss starts to wear off, so be sure to reapply or keep a wipe handy! That apart, its a beautiful color if you don't mind the shimmer and can go light handed with the application.

Burberry Beauty Kisses Lip Gloss in Cameo Nude No.21

Burberry’s new Kisses Lip Gloss ($29; sephora.com) is a reformulated version of their older Lip Glows. Kisses is much less fragranced and a less stickier version of the Lip Glow glosses and comes in some very beautiful shades.  

Cameo Nude is a gorgeous peachy nude with very fine shimmer. The shimmer is hardly ever visible and just translates to a beautiful sheen on the lips. The color is a perfect nude on my skin tone, great worn alone or layered and doesn’t wash me out. The packaging is very Burberry and the applicator, although slightly wobbly, still applies color beautifully. The texture is neither too thick, nor very runny, just perfect for a gloss and is non-sticky and quite moisturizing. Like any other gloss, I get about 2-3 hours of weartime from this one. I’m so glad Burberry toned down the fragrance level since I found the Lip Glows a little too fragranced and cloying for my liking. Overall, the Kisses Lip Gloss is a winner, I’ve been wearing it a lot lately and love the formula. Cameo Nude especially is a gorgeous nude to check out that pairs beautifully with a slightly stronger neutral or smokey eyes. 

Archetypes Fragrances

Archetypes is the new digital fragrance brand founded by Cristina Carlino, the founder of Philosophy. The brand launched a line of 12 fragrances curated to reflect the essence of each archetype you aspire to be. Archetypes is also among the very first fragrance brands to be launched through social media. 

I tried out a few fragrances from the line, after taking a short personality quiz on their website (www.archetypes.com; Fragrances - $64 each). Caregiver Eau de Parfum is a beautiful light, feminine floral with notes of pink pepper, rare florals,sandalwood and musk. Its one that I’d use all through the year and is light, yet fresh throughout the day. Tastemaker Eau de Parfum is a slightly heavier scent with prominent notes of neroli and black pepper, perhaps one that is good for the cooler, fall evenings. Its quite long lasting and somewhat of grown up scent that I really like. Finally, Visionary Eau de Parfum, which is a crisp, clean floral, mostly rose. A very feminine scent and one meant for someone who doesn’t prefer heavy perfumes or anything that is too fragranced or heady.  The bottles are sleek, small and perfect even to travel with and the scents themselves are very unique and I’m sure there’s one for everyone from the variety of blends Archetypes has to offer. To take the quiz on the Archetypes website, go here.

*No affiliate links; Press Samples

5 Drugstore Beauty Finds Under $10

Five new to me beauty finds under $10 from the drugstore, with some quick thoughts, photos & swatches!

Essence How To Make Nude Eyes Palette ($9.99; ulta.com) and Gel Nail Polishes ($1.99; ulta.com) - The Gel Nail Polishes and the How To Make Nude Eyes are both new from Essence. The palette features six nudes in gorgeous textures and pigmentation. They are all super easy to blend and very easy to work with. It is a great palette for the price and definitely one to look into if you are on a budget and/or love neutrals. As for the Gel Nail Polishes, they are very opaque, the colors are non-streaky and the formula dries quickly. They look pretty glossy without a top coat too! Both winners from Essence!

Rimmel Keep Calm Lip Balms ($3; target.com) and Lift Me Up Wonder Lash Mascara ($8.99; ulta.com) - The Rimmel Keep Calm Tinted Lip Balms come in a variety of flavors with a subtle hints of color. There’s a strong scent to them that takes a while to dissipate, but that apart, they are a basic lip balm that just adds some color and have a little bit of slip for moisturizing. While not the most nourishing lip balm out there, it is a good one to throw into your purse for midday touchups. The Lift Me Up Wonder Lash Mascara is a volumizing mascara, that I find lengthens better than it volumizes. It starts to clump if too much is built up, but as a natural looking, lengthening and separating mascara, I like it! There’s a slight scent to the mascara, similar to that in some Rimmel lip products, but it isn’t bothersome and goes away in a few seconds of application.

Carmex Moisture Plus Limited Edition Glossy Lip Balms ($3; cvs.com) are a quick and easy way to revive lips. They have a subtle tingle, which is not something I really enjoy, but on the plus side, they come with broad spectrum SPF 15 protection without too much of a waxy feel. There’s a subtle, slightly strong vanilla flavor that dissipates pretty quickly.  While not a miracle cure for dry lips, it is a good one to use to maintain lips in good condition and the limited edition packaging is quite a nice change from the regular plain tubes.

*Press Samples Included.

Recent Skincare Discoveries From REN, Trilogy, Phace Bioactive & Sustainable Youth With Some Quick Thoughts

I’ve been trying out some new skincare recently, a couple of discoveries from brands new to me. Here’s a quick roundup of what has worked for me and how I like them.

REN Rose O12 Moisture Defence Oil ($80; sephora.com; press sample) - Is a luxurious face oil that I like to use during the nighttime mostly. Its sort of a dry oil, so leaves no residue behind and my dry skin drinks it up. The scent is not too strong, mostly a powdery floral from the few essential oils and goes away within a few minutes once the oil is absorbed. Its a great, nourishing oil for dry, dehydrated skin and something I’ll be using a lot more in the coming colder weeks. So far, I’ve been using it by itself, but It is a very good one to layer under moisturizer too!

Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil ($24; Whole Foods) - Another great find that I picked up months back at Whole Foods when I wanted something that isn’t too scented. It is a slightly thicker oil, has hardly any scent and is very good for dry, sensitive skin that could use a little brightening as well. It is really great for the price and the packaging is perfect, so I use about 2-3 drops each time. It does take a while to absorb completely though, so the texture might be better suited for skin that leans dry and preferably before bed.

Phace Bioactive Ph Optimized Illuminating Serum ($92; saksfifthavenue.com; press sample)-  Is a very potent, brightening serum in a concentrated formula. It is quick absorbing and the gel like texture feels very lightweight. If you have pretty sensitive skin, I would recommend using this not more than 2-3 times as week. The formula tends to leave skin feeling a tad sensitive so a good sunscreen is needed to be followed up with, if you are going to be out in the sun a lot. The brightening effect from this one is quick and if your skin needs a radiance boost, this is a good serum to keep an eye out for. It is definitely something that needs a moisturizer on top or at least a light lotion that can add a little bit of moisture.

Sustainable Youth Ultra Creamy Cleansing Lotion ($50; sustainableyouth.com; press sample) - Feels very rich and isn’t drying at all, but the formula struggles to remove waterproof anything, especially mascara. Like I would with any cleanser, I massage a small amount onto face and neck and remove with a washcloth. While the formula is really nice and gentle on dry, sensitive skin and isn’t one bit drying, I needed an oil cleanser to get my eye makeup off. I guess it is more of a skin cleanser or one to be used on days when there’s not much makeup to get rid off. A little pricey, but good for a non-drying gentle cleanse that leaves skin balanced and soft.

Elizabeth Arden Golden Opulence Fall 2015 Color Collection

Elizabeth Arden’s new fall 2015 color collection, Golden Opulence is a small, but beautiful collection with a few limited edition pieces that come in gorgeous packaging. A couple of products I got to try out are the Beautiful Color Highlighter in Gold Illumination ($44; elizabetharden.com) and the Beautiful Color High Intensity Liquid Eye Liner in Jet Black ($44; elizabetharden.com).*Press Samples

The Highlighter is a shimmery bronzy gold that also works as a blush on my skintone when I swirl all the colors together. There is quite a bit of fallout from the shimmer, so I would go light handed and build the color up which also makes it easier to blend. The packaging is very beautiful and the highlighter also comes with a small brush, but I would rather use a larger fluffy brush for this kind of texture. The High Intensity Liquid Eyeliner is a jet black liner that is very pigmented and goes on smooth. The tip isn’t too firm or too wobbly and manages to deliver good payoff in just one stroke. I haven’t used a liquid liner in quite sometime now, but I still found this very easy to work with. The color does bleed just a tad before it sets, but nothing crazy. Overall, both the highlighter and the liner are great, the formula would be perfect with a few tweaks, but I still like them enough to have used them quite a bit over the past few weeks.