Vichy Love & Make Up Bag Essentials

I don't know what "Beauty Ice" is, but I want some.

In which I share some more Vichy love! You can read about where my Vichy love affair started here. Plus, I share two make up bag essentials I just can't be without....this month.

Links to information regarding the products I discuss in the video:

Vichy USA and  Vichy Canada

YSL Touche Éclat - my post  and the YSL company website.

Chantecaille Lip Gloss

Sometimes I Want Some Bubbly In My Perfume

Mmmm love Champagne

One of my favourite perfumes is an Yves St Laurent creation from 1993. It was launched under the name Champagne until the Champagne makers from France decided the name infringed on their product, so YSL changed the name to Yvresse, which is a cheeky name for a perfume meaning "drunkeness" and sounds fun juxtaposed with YSL. It was launched in an era when a fruity flowery "big" perfume was a good thing, and quickly became a classic. 

It is a chypre, by definition, and the older versions contain real oakmoss. Real oakmoss makes for a deep earthy sexy base that dries down beautifully on the skin. But it is the fruity bubbly top notes that really astound. If someone had told me a perfume could approximate the nose tingling bubbles of a fruity champagne cocktail, I would have laughed but that is exactly what Yvresse feels like. It has the hold over from the 80s kitchen sink list of notes that the creator, Sophia Grojsman is known for. It is a multi layered beauty that does lots of developing as you wear it and is actually like a party of delicious notes celebrating their combined gorgeousness on your skin.

The top notes are peach, apricots and nectarine which brings to mind a sparkling mimosa but it is the bubbly aspect that amazes. I think the minty/menthol notes help elevate the fruits and add that effervescent quality- but wait, it gets better. As it dries down the rose, jasmine and carnation just melt beautifully into the rich base of patchouli, oakmoss and vetiver. I love the way this scent settles- it goes from woo-hoo bubbly dancing to a nice mellow buzz without the headache.

I could get drunk on this beautiful perfume...

YSL Yvresse never fails to garner compliments but I wear this one with caution. It is gorgeous but it is a whole lotta perfume, so all it takes is a few strategically placed dabs to waft beautifully and make everyone want to lean in closer because I smell so damn good. There are multiple versions of Champagne and Yvresse, with the older ones containing the good stuff. I have an original release Yvresse eau de toilette which I love, but my friend Dane has a precious bottle of Champagne parfum- WOOF. That is the stuff of dreams and I am on the hunt for a bottle. It is small and precious but quite heavy and of course, has the sweet design of a champagne cork. I have tried current Yvresse and it is still beautiful- not as rich and deep as the original but lovely. If you hunt around online you can find older bottles of Yvresse for a very reasonable price. And if you love Champagne and are feeling happy and sexy, I highly recommend you get some. Then pour yourself and someone special a glass of bubbly, and enjoy....

Holiday Party Nails!

Well tis the season to be festive and, well, sparkly! My daughter is a constant manicure inspiration and my recent manis have been feeling downright dull in comparison to her works of art on tips. So I stepped out of my comfort zone and into the glitter! Deborah Lippmann has a delicious selection of glitters that attract my eye like a magpie every time I pass the counter. 

In bright daylight

In my living room stepping away from the window light....

I am a lover of all things golden so Boom Boom Pow was a natural! I've had this gorgeous silky YSL Gold (#139) polish kicking around since last year but never gave it a wear. Emilie busted it out for  this gorgeous manicure and suddenly it occurred to me that it would layer beautifully with Boom Boom Pow....and it did! Boom Boom Pow is a gorgeous gold glitter with flecks of actual real gold dust. Sign me up!

A quick Twitter poll helped me choose my pedi colour- even though it was a tie! Open toe shoes mean toes must also look pretty! I was torn between a vampy red and a true red and in the end, OPI Red My Fortune Cookie seemed like a natural choice. It is a gorgeous bright red with a coral undertone of sorts. Hard to explain but so beautiful in winter or summer. Love.

I don't usually like toe shots but don't the colours look purty together?

So now I just have to dust off the hot rollers & I'm ready to party! How about you? What is your party mani-pedi?

EDIT: This manicure went 6 days before showing even the slightest tip wear. And, after I got over my initial sparkle shock, I fell head over in heels for Lippmann glitter and decided I could wear a glittery mani anytime, anywhere. LOVE. So I promptly went out & purchased Some Enchanted Evening, which my Lippmann goddess, Elena assures me looks gorgeous over Naked. Boo-ya!

YSL Volupté Sheer Candy Gloss is a Beautiful Balm, Too!

No2 Dewy Papaya second from right

I'm a sucker for a lip balm. I am also a sucker for luxe packaging and pretty colours. But, I am also quite colour phobic and tend to wear sheer glosses or my lips but better non lippy lippies. I was perusing the YSL counter and thanks to most delightful SA had fun trying this and that. She could tell by my next to bare face that I was skeered of colour and whipped out the Volupté Sheer Candy Gloss in No2 which is Dewy Papaya. It is a super sheer pink coral that looked very pretty and not scary at all swatched on my hand but she had me at "Did I mention it's a balm too? My lips just feel so good when I wear this!"Well, she was gorgeous with beautifully applied make up- I always trust those SAs to sell me something I will actually use. 

Isn't the tube pretty?

So I gave it a try and loved it. It does have a fruity scent and mild taste but both disappear and are not over powering at all. It just glides on and does feel soothing and gentle on my lips which I love. I have fairly good colour in my lips and always have. Actually I used to put foundation on them in high school because I thought they were too pink! Imagine. But that makes these sheer lippies so perfect for me!

Ok I realize this just barely qualifies as a colour...but I love it!

Unlike my trusty pot balms, which I also love, this one would look gorgeous being pulled out of a purse and subtly applied in public. Did I mention the packaging is stunning? It's in a glossy shiny silver tube with a golden YSL symbol wrapped around the middle. Oh sure, you pay for that but I can justify it (can't we all justify everything?) because I don't wear lipstick so I never buy fancy lippies. That works, right?

Pardon my pores on the close up :)

I got my YSL Sheer Candy Gloss Volupté at Holt Renfrew for $31.50.

Beautiful Top Five In My Purse (this week)

1. YSL Touch Eclat:

Sigh. It's February. This time of year I feel tired, sallow and pale. YSL Touche Eclat is a miraculous product- not a concealer, not a highlighter, but a hybrid of the two, it works magic on camouflaging without spackling. A few strategic dabs with my trusty cult fave YSL Touche Eclat and ta-da! I’m bright eyed and ready to go. I use it under my eyes, but concentrate it towards the center of my face, not out towards the sides where it could, ahem, settle into lines. Used on the inside of the nose by the eyelid, it brightens and lightens. Around the side of the nostrils, that are always a little darker, more so if one has had a cold, it makes shadows disappear.  A light swipe down the nasal labial folds is like faking an injectable and makes those “marionette” lines disappear. Then dot dot dot on any spots (sigh…over 40 and still with the spots…) and I’m good as new! It is not inexpensive, at around $40 a tube, but I usually get almost 2 years out of one pen. Seriously. No wonder a there is a YSL Touche Eclat sold somewhere in the world every ten seconds. Wow.

2. OPI Avoplex Cuticle Oil To-Go:

This stuff is a must have for winter months! This weather is not kind to our skin and nails and keeping them protected and soft is an ongoing battle. OPI created a fantastic cuticle oil gel formula, which is perfect for in the purse on the go application. The thought of applying an actual oil while say, sitting in your car before going into your office or hitting the road for a day of driving is utterly ridiculous. The spillage risks alone make doing so an impossibility. But, sometimes a hand cream just isn’t enough and if you are like me and work with the public, handing over a form for signatures with ratty, ragged and dry cuticles just doesn’t cut it. OPI Avoplex Oil comes in a nice compact little tube with a cap that twists on tightly so it can sit safe and secure in your purse with no leaking. It has a handy dandy little brush and works like a lip gloss. Just gently squeeze to distribute product to the brush and rub it in to your cuticles and across and under your nails. I do this before putting my gloves on to let the oil sink in while my hands are cozy and warm. Full of good stuff like avocado oil, vitamin e, sunflower, sesame and kului nut oils, this has made a HUGE difference in the condition of my cuticles and I would not be without it. As usual for me, the scent is not ideal, kind of a synthetic melon note but fear not, it dissipates quickly. At $10 this is a deal.

3. Fisherman’s Friend Lozenges:

Ok these aren’t exactly beautiful, but what they do is. These intense and bombastic drops can soothe the raspiest of coughs and dry throats and stuffiest of noses- especially helpful when talking is one of the things you do for a living. I swear they are so strong they must be able to kill germs but that is just my unscientific theory. The origins of this humble but powerful lozenge goes back to 1865 in England when a pharmacist took his menthol & eucalyptus cough medicine and make it into a lozenge for the fisherman to easily take on their journeys. They began to refer to it as their “friend”…and the rest is history. They are known among public speakers and singers for their magical restorative powers. And, while they are ridiculously strong, they do not send one into dry heaving convulsions like Buckley’s cough syrup, which tastes like Pine Sol, only stronger. I cannot imagine not having my FF lozenges, and even if I am out of them, I know I can root around one of my many (ahem) purses and dig a few out of the bottom. They come in little bags, that often spill out in my purse. Comforting to know I always have some handy. I like the Original Extra Strong (redundant name, but aaaanyways…) in the little white bag. For under $3 a bag will last all winter.

4. Goody Modern Updo Pin:

I got this while on the hunt for the Goody Spin Pins I’ve been reading about here and here. Everywhere I have seen them the blonde pins have been sold out so I decided to give the Modern Updo Pin a try. I have long hair and find ponytails heavy and uncomfortable so I tend to go for a twist or a bun when I wear my hair up. I have many claws but unless they are somewhat expensive high quality nylon (read: flexible) the cheap plastic ones snap all the time in my thick hair. I was ready to try an alternative. I really like the Updo Pin. It certainly takes a little practice but it holds the bun or twist in place without feeling tight and it pretty much disappears into my hair rendering itself invisible. Nice to have in my purse when I just want the mop of hair out of the way. Stay tuned for a Spin Pin review, I am still on the hunt. The Modern Updo Pin was kind of expensive for a pin at $7 but I pay around the same or even more for a good hair claw so I’m ok with that price. I’m not sure how this would work on fine hair and would be curious to know if you have any feedback.

5. Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine:

My ongoing lip balm adventures continue with Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine, which is soft pale yet sheer pink shade with the subtlest hint of shimmer. I really like this balm, and am more than halfway through the little pot, which is quite telling for me. I am still loving my Dior Crème de Rose, but when I want a little bit of  colour ( and I mean little) I will dab on some Korres. I really like this line. My daughter Emilie wears the Korres Lip Butter in Wild Rose, which is a sheer fuchsia rose tone that looks amazing on her. Younger daughter Brigit wears the Pomegranate, which is slightly more coral, again, looks gorgeous on her. Korres Lip Butter is nicely moisturizing with little or no taste or scent. The darker shades add a nice subtle tone and the pale Jasmine gives more of the nude lip that I like. The darker shades also work nicely as a cheek tint. Almost shine free, this is one I will repurchase. It protects and moisturizes and acts like a lip colour at the same time. Also, Korres Lip Butter is formulated without parabens, synthetic fragrances & dyes or petro-chemicals. This little $10 gem is usually in those tempting impulse purchase bins as you stand in line at Sephora, which is where I was first tempted to buy them.  Great value in my opinion.

           

Beautiful Blogs of the Week

Ok I missed a week and am now a day late with my Beautiful Blogs of the Weekly round up. Get used to it lol. I found some great beauty reading out there...hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did!

Dane over at Pere de Pierre gets a few things off his chest about the current state of perfume in Dear So & So. I love his writing- he makes me a lol-cat.

A newly discovered perfume blog, The Perfume Chronicles, reviews the gorgeous YSL "Y". I just got a bottle of this after not having it for years (thanks Dane xo) and I had forgotten how timeless and beautiful this scent is. If you are bored with the endless glut of fruity disasters at the perfume counter, YSL shows us how its done in "Y".

Gaia at The Non-Blonde reviews the perfect seasonal transition nail polish offering from Essie as part of their fall line- Essie In Stitches. The perfect soft easy to wear, office appropriate rose colour I'd say and almost a perfect dupe for my Chanel Rose Confidentiel.

Michelle over at Beauty Editor, offers up some Mad Men inspired beauty tips. Perfect? I'll say. I am ready to bust out my hot rollers and embrace lady-like style :)

Keeping on-topic with retro looks, the lovely Victoria over at EauMG does an amazing job of reproducing elegant vintage cosmetic looks. This week she takes on the beautiful Dorothy Dandridge and I think she looks stunning!

Well, so far this weekend is looking perfect - sunny clear and cool, everything I love about fall. Have a good one!