The Story of L’Occitane and the Almond Tree

Posted on February 18, 2020 by Kyle Gordon

By Kyle Gordon

What can I say? I’m a sucker for beautiful packaging, hence my love affair with everything L’Occitane en Provence. Even the name conjures images of the French countryside and my beloved Toile de Jouy (a beautiful fabric usually depicting a pastoral scene).

When this Mist Concentrate was brought to my attention I knew I had to share. I just love the idea of a body moisturizer in a mist. It’s so easy to transport (perfect for travel or to throw in your gym bag) and it’s loaded with almond proteins and silicium (to smooth and firm) and almond oil and milk (for softer and more supple skin).

Why Almond?
The almond tree is a strong symbol of the Provencal landscape (similar to the olive tree). For the last six years an initiative aimed at reviving the cultivation of almond trees (which were threatened since the 1930s) has been underway. L’Occitane played an active role in this project. It’s just one more reason to fall in love with the Almond bodycare range.

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Revlon Mega Multiplier Mascara

Posted on February 17, 2020 by Henna

Mascara was the first bit of makeup I started using, way back when. It was easy to use and looked relatively natural, when applied with a light hand, and I didn’t get in trouble for using it.

So, great makeup has always meant great lashes, for me, but I struggle to find a mascara that doesn’t smudge. Revlon’s new Mega Multiplier Mascara is the “tubing” kind. It coats the lashes with a special polymer formula that’s water and oil resistant. This means that it won’t smudge or flake but it’ll need water and gentle rubbing with fingertips to come off in tubes.

The brush applies a lot and has a tapered wand that gets even the tiniest lashes close to the inside of the eye. It gets the bottom lashes too, which is perfect.

Pick it up at drugstores and mass merchandisers.

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New Marc Jacobs Velvet Primer Video

Posted on February 15, 2020 by Henna

Here’s the Marc Jacobs Velvet Primer in action, with their Velvet Noir Mascara.  If you like long fluffy lashes, these two together are fire.  Let me know what you think of this video.  And what other mascaras I should try!

http://www.instagram.com/tv/BuRfwi7BqU_/

As I say in the video, I normally find this mascara to be so smudgy, but when I used it with the primer, I didn’t actually experience any smudging so maybe I’ll be sticking with this duo!

You can find the primer at Sephora.  $35.

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Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara

Posted on February 15, 2020 by Henna

It’s a mascara that I keep going back to because it gives me those luxe thick lashes that I love.  The wands seems to grab the lashes, and the thick waxy formula layers so well.

The brush is curvy which helps it grab all the lashes, and I really like using the end of it to use on my bottom lash line.  It defines without clumping and doesn’t flake throughout the day.You can read a more full review of it here.

$35 at Sephora.

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John Master’s Organics Overnight Facial Mask

Posted on February 14, 2020 by Henna

This is the nicest smelling mask I’ve ever used because it’s got lovely rose oil in it.

The luscious mask is a blend of aloe juice, glycerin, and water with some other extracts thrown in for brightness, but it’s the glycerin that does the heavy work here. This is a lovely moisturizer for all skin types because it’s light but hydrating and it almost seems to form a protective layer over your skin.

$89 online.

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New empty: Kerastase Aura Botanica Oil video

Posted on February 13, 2020 by Henna

Kerastase’s Aura Botanica line came out in 2017 and it was something special. All products were created to work like traditional products so that you wouldn’t feel that they were “natural”. Unlike most oils on the market (including the Bumble and Bumble Invisible Oil), this oil is free of silicones and so it’s just oil that works to detangle and nourish your hair. I’ve loved using it on myself and my girls and now it’s finished.

What’s one thing you’ve finished recently?

 

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Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Shampoo and Conditioner

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Henna

This is absolutely the shampoo and conditioner you need if you have dry hair and needs a lot of moisture, especially if that’s what you switch over to in the cold winter months.

The shampoo is moisturizing but not heavy and thick. It spreads easily throughout your hair and leaves it moisturized and not stripped of moisture. If you’re looking for a deep cleanse, though, this is not the shampoo that you want to use.

The conditioner is seriously heavy and maybe one of the heaviest conditioners I’ve ever used. It’s heavier than a lot of hair masks and leaves a serious residue on your hair by way of moisturizing. When I use this mask I find that I hardly need any styling products because it’s that smoothing.

Of course, both of them enriched with coconut oil, argan oil, and macadamia nut oil which helps hydrate your hair. This is a great duo for dry or very dry hair – if you highlight or regularly use hot tools on your hair, you’re going to want to use these.

Available at salons and Sephora. $45 for the large size of the conditioner, $41 for the large size of the shampoo.

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How Can I Make Makeup Last Longer

Posted on February 11, 2020 by Henna

This is an easy question to answer, and I think that people have heard the answer, but they’re not sure whether to believe it.

How can you make your makeup last longer?

Just use a primer!

How can a primer help?  Well it absorbs oil before it gets to your makeup, and once it’s absorbed all the oil that it can, then the excess gets to your makeup and it gets absorbed by that.  Think of it as a line of defense that comes before your makeup.

There’s no guarantee that your skin won’t look oily later in the day, but hopefully it should be flawless for a little longer than usual.  There are tons of great primers out there and almost every line has one.  I particularly like Prescriptives’ Flawless Face Primer because I can use it on the days that I don’t want to wear makeup and it makes my skin look glowy and fresh.

Have a primer you love?  Tell our readers in the comments!

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Look By Vera Wang

Posted on February 11, 2020 by Henna

Look is the name of Vera Wang’s newest fragrance, and when I saw the bottle and the ad campaign, it seemed to me that this was a departure from the bridal feel of Wang’s fragrances and branding. It’s not up to me to say whether that’s good or not, but I thought it was reflected in the fragrance too.

Gone are the classically feminine scents, and instead we have something that smells a lot younger, perhaps only because it reminds me so much of Ralph Lauren Romance which I wore throughout my late-teenage years.

What you get in this fragrance is a fruity-citrus opening and then a fresh sweet floral drydown. It’s a little powdery but not so much so that it’ll make you think of someone old. The perfume is nice and now available everywhere.

$52.97 at mass merchandisers.

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Gwyneth’s Makeup Tips

Posted on February 11, 2020 by Henna

A little throwback today…

Gwyneth Paltrow’s newsletter Goop, shared how she got ready for the Emmys.  Below, her makeup artist shares her tips.

Noticeable is that she likes to blend with the BeautyBlender Sponge.

Makeup tips From Kate Lee:

“I’m really enjoying Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation. I apply it with a nylon brush then blend with a beauty blender sponge, which gives a beautifully healthful glow.

For the eyes I started with Chanel’s Illusion D’ombre In Emervielle with Fantasme, a bronzy gold creme shadow, which I applied to the whole lid and blended out at the socket. I let some color bleed out to the inner corners of the eye and then added a highlight of shimmer to the centre of the lid. Next I added a soft black gel liner (a combination of Noir Kohl Liner and Black Shiseido Brush Liquid Liner) at the base of the lashes. We curled the lashes, applied a coat of Mascara and then added in a few extra strip and individual lashes.

I’m experimenting with By Terry Rose de Rose Liquid Blush at the moment and I’m loving the results. It is more of a sheen of color. For Gwyneth, I used an apricot shade on her cheek bones to give dimension.

I’m also loving the new Kevyn Aucoin Creme Blush, which I used to pop Gwyneth’s cheeks. Using a vibrant color on the cheek is a great way to bring attention to the eye.

I groomed the brows with a combination of powder and tinted brow gel, which gave them definition—specifically, a Chanel Blond pencil and Anastasia Brow Gel. Then, I highlighted the brow bone with a light matte concealer.

Right at the end, we decided to add black liner inside the eye to give the look a little more intensity.

I used a lip liner that is the same shade as Gwyneth’s lips to define them, and then she added a dab of her own Kiehls lip balm so the color was actually her natural lip color.”

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