But it also gives us beauty obsessed folks another day in the short month of February to show appreciation to products that we have happily discovered!
Behold: my February Faves!
I won't go into deep details of each and every item but I will let you know that I was pleasantly surprised by each product featured! NARS Eyeshadow Single, Lhasa shown here has been an everyday favorite since I purchased it about two weeks ago. I absolutely loved the range of colors featured in the latest OPI Spring collection taking Holland as their inspiration this time around. This bright pink cheers me up on the coldest, dampest day here in SF. Revlon's Lip Butter Balms is a pleasant surprise on my lips and my wallet. The biggest challenge will be to retrain myself from buy more - I currently own three and I'd like to keep it that way (for now). Also shown is another drugstore beauty find - L'Oreal's Infalliable Eye Shadow in Bronzed Taupe. Yes, I do think about this shadow when I look at the color of my car every morning!
Also, I received some awesome skincare samples this month. I received the Algenist Lifting and Firming Cream from my Birchbox sample offerings last month and I actually began to use it this month. I can't really tell if it's firming or lifting, per se, but it is fragrance free, doesn't contain SPF (sadly) and it does not irritate my sensitive eczema prone skin! The small jar that says 'Juno' is a sample of a serum from skincare newcomer Sunday Riley. I was lucky enough to receive this from my last visit to Barneys along with an exfoliating leave on mask, Good Genes, Start Over eye cream which was created by the folks behind Visine eye drops - it makes your eyes burn and water like a mofo because of the instant lifting and eye brightening effects. I don't know if I loved this as much as I thought because of the burning. Plus, I didn't notice an immediate brightening. The last sample received was the Bionic Anti-Aging Cream. There's a light scent and it absorbs quickly. It's a powerhouse cream consisting of purified retinol, resveratrol, EGCG, peptides, copper peptides and more!
But back to the Juno serum - it surprised me. It's a dry oil and I've had BAD experiences with oils on my face, especially cleansers. Cleansers you rinse off and those broke me out. A serum you leave on and this didn't break me out. I do suspect, however, that I'm not getting enough moisture as I'm beginning to get dry patches on my chin again. I guess, I'll have to start using prescribed ointments with this serum. Because it's a dry oil, you get an instant glow. It contains natural retinol, omega-3,6,&9, amino acids, Vitamin C, UV shields and natural anti-inflammatory agents. I was told by the super friendly assistant at the counter that this contains broccoli oil and yes, when I slather this on my face it vaguely smells and feels like salad oil. This doesn't gross me out, if anything it makes me giggle. But I'm weird like that.
The NARS tinted moisturizer is new and I really need to review that. I will say for now that I am just elated to find a tinted moisturizer that contains an SPF that doesn't make my forehead look ashy! It's like a BB (beauty balm) cream - primer, spf, treatment all in one. The shade I went with is Annapurna, medium w/a peachy undertone. Again, I will give a review and swatch comparison soon.
As for the scent samples, I am transitioning from my oriental/amber/ouds and making way for lighter scents to get into the Spring/Summer seasons. The Guerlain scent is Iris Ganache, from the L'Art et la Matiere line. It's exclusive, pricey and now discontinued! This combines the powdery scent of Iris with White Chocolate and other notes in between - bergamot, cinnamon, cedar, patchouli, amber, vanilla and musk. I get powdery iris at first and then a drydown of white chocolate and musk. It's lovely and a pair that's just as lovely as bacon and chocolate! It's perfect year round - if you love gourmand scents and you want one that pushes the envelop a bit, stop by Neiman Marcus and check this out at the Guerlain counter! I get good wear time out of this, about 3 1/2, 4 hours? I just love that even after 4 hours I can still smell remnants of chocolate on my skin...this may be bad for my diet, as it just makes me crave a chocolate bar!
Frederic Malle's Carnal Flower is a tuberose powerhouse! This is gorgeous and when I put this on a cold, dreary morning I instantly feel sunshine, brightness and I have a swagger in my step. It's not just tuberose but also hints of coconut, jasmine, musk when I pull my nose away from my wrist. Other notes included: eucalyptus, orange blossom, ylang-ylang, bergamot and melon. I use to not be a fan of tuberose because I found it too heady but I guess it must me be craving warmer weather because I am obsessed with this scent. I get at least four hours of wear time - I have to reapply after my lunch time gym shower.
Sorry, I know this is a lot of text but I hope you enjoyed my Feb Faves. What are some of yours?
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