Author: Lindsay

Fall Trends Brunch at Saks Fifth Avenue

A couple weeks ago, I had the honor of hosting a Fall Trends brunch at the local Saks Fifth Avenue. We covered fashion trends in the contempory department including jewel tones, leather and lace. I combed the beauty level for what’s hot this fall for makeup to go with the season’s styles. Here are some of my picks:

Aerin Weekday Palette is the centerpoint of a new line by Estee Lauders grandaughter and current creative director of Estee Lauder, Aerin Lauder. Inspired by the busy lifestyle of working women, this fall style palette is mistake-proof and neutral. The pallette contains two eyeshadows, blush and a highlighter.

Laura Mercier Bonne Mine Healthy Glow is another palette that is all about the healthy, radiant glow. Laura designed this universal compact to “wake up” their skin. It contains a bronzer veil, two cheek veils and two glow veils. These creamy, nourishing shades can be used to contour and highlight. I love just applying with my fingers and letting my creative juices flow. 100% of the profits from the sale of this product will be donated to the Laura Mercier Ovarian Cancer Fund.

Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touche Éclat Foundation SPF 30 is inspired by the cult-classic product, Touche Eclat. The innovative foundation comes in 17 shades and is superbly lightweight. Coverage is medium with the radiant finish we saw all over the runways. It has that slightly heavier coverage I crave in the fall and winter without feeling the least bit heavy or cakey.

Estée Lauder Pure Color Nail Lacquer is unmatched this fall. No one has done jewel tone nails better. I love the rich blue of “Blue Bloods”. The metallic component is measured so it still is sophisticated. Viper is an equally vampy jewel tone in green.

Lancôme L’Absolu Nu in Rouge Riselle is my pick for a bordeaux lip this fall. It is the perfect balanced color with a hydrating formula. The key to this bold lip is healthy lips and this stuff can heal while you wear it. You can apply with a lip pencil for a full, opaque look or try applying with your ring finger for just a wash of the seasonal color.

Urban Decay and Essie GIVEAWAY

A couple months ago, I gave away one original Urban Decay NAKED palette as a token of appreciation to you, my dear readers. It was my most popular giveaway to date. Well, things have been going VERY well here at Belle Belle… so let’s do it again!

This time I am giving away the sequel: Urban Decay NAKED 2 AND a bottle of Essie penny talk. Both will be staples for fall looks. I love the sleek metal packaging on the newest version of NAKED. There are a couple more matte shades, like Blackout (blackest black with matte finish) and Foxy (cream bisque with matte finish), that add versatility.

Essie penny talk is opaque rose gold that can be festive and neutral at the same time. And of course has that time-tested Essie formula that makes it a breeze to work with.

Thanks for all your support and good luck! Enter using the widget below and this is open to anyone anywhere!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Floss Gloss Nail Polish

Floss Gloss was founded by three students from California College of the Arts. While developing their nail polishes over late nights, the deemed their burgeoning company, Floss Gloss, for nails that ‘Flossed and Glossed like a Boss’. Their spunky, funky attitude translates into contemporary but ultra-wearable shades with sassy names. Floss Gloss will knock your socks off with the best glitter polish (yes, I really mean the best), not to mention awesome color lacquers and adorable packaging. While they are advertisesed as one-coat, I needed two, but the payoff was surreal. Some shades I tried pictured above from left to right: Gloss, Perf, DimePiece, Stun, WavePool and Bassline.

My favorite of their polishes is Stun (a gold glitter). Here, I used Stun to cover some chips in OPI’s My Private Jet.

My next Floss Gloss mani was Perf. I was tempted to do an accent nail in DimePiece but opted to let the sugary pink stand alone. I might have gone a touch too Katy Perry Teenage Dream… But that’s okay because I liked it (see what I did there?).

Below is WavePool and DimePiece. I like the unexpected look of two accent glitter nails. You can see the glitter polishes stand up on their own (this photo from flossgloss.com)

I’ve also been using their nail care collection: Bassline and Gloss. Bassline is designed to be a foundation for polish. Gloss has impressed me as a long wear top coat. Floss Gloss Pro Nail Lacquer is cruelty free and formulated without DBPs, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin and Toluene. Floss Gloss Ltd is designed and made in the USA. You can purchase Floss Gloss Lacquer at www.flossgloss.com.

Fall Fragrances

I’ve been adding to my perfume stash with the change in seasons in mind. The cozy, warm herbal fragrances are definitely my favorite and this is the perfect time of year to work these into the rotation. Here are my current favorites:

Lollia Relax Eau de Parfum is probably my new most favorite fragrance (and actually beauty item). I am addicted to the gentle, soothing fragrance with lavender, white orchid, Tahitian vanilla, bee blossom honey, and Indian amber. It sits by my bed, ready for part of my nighttime routine to practice some aromatherapy relaxation. But I find myself reaching for the beautiful bottle in the morning as well.

A Dozen Roses Amber Queen Eau de Parfum Spray is on the floral edge of the spectrum with apricot, clementine, a hint of ginger and amber. It finds femininity in an exotic Bengal rose accord but still manages to stay light and fresh on the skin. This fragrance is youthful but regal at the same time.

Bvlgari Mon Jasmin Noir Eau de Parfum has the musky, woody flavor I have been craving with the arrival of cooler evenings. The stunning bottle screams modern and feminine. No wonder with the top note of lily of the valley and middle note of Sambac jasmine.

Chanel COCO Noir is the first Chanel perfume I have been drawn to in a while. For me, it is a departure from classic Chanel with patchouli and sandalwood. Grapefruit and bergamot give it lightness and the floral theme persists with rose and jasmine. On me, the finished product dries down fairly rosy, but the sandalwood gives it the sophistication I am craving.

Houbigant Paris Orangers en Fleurs Eau de Parfum is a warm, luxurious translation of the Orange Blossom, one of my favorites. (Did you know the Orange Blossom is a symbol of fertility, of abundance—because Orange trees produce flowers and fruit at the same time?) Turkish rose and Egyptian jasmine absolute round out the brisk orange blossom. At first, the tuberose is prominent, but as it dries, Nutmeg, Ylang and cedar wood round it out. The result is a woody, musky floral.

Right now, Neiman Marcus is celebrating 10 days of beauty. Just by purchasing any cosmetics or fragrance item, you earn an entry to win a beauty bundle.One lucky lady will win ALL of the bundles (whoa!)

They are giving one away a day through October 20th. You can also enter here.

Shop my fragrance finds here:

Zirh Clean and Scrub

Another report from Beau Beau for the guys out there (and girls who shop for your guys). ZIRH has been around since 1995, using the highest quality botanicals to make personal care products for men. It is comprehensive, but easy to navigate with clear-cut communication (functional names) and no frills. So while I was hunting for an AHA product for Beau Beau, this sleek packaging and high quality jumped out. He tried two of their products with exfoliation in mind: Zirh Clean and Zirh Scrub.

Zirh Clean is a clarifying cleanser that uses a triad of alpha-hydroxy acids to cut through dirt, pollution and oil. I’m a big believer in exfoliation for men. Beau Beau has seen an improvement in ingrown hairs after having glycolic acid in his regular rotation. And this gentle version can be used as often as twice a day. The citrus-smelling gel formula foams while gently exfoliating skin and removing dirt and debris. It can also double as a shave cream. Menthol leaves a very gentle cooking to brighten and invigorate skin.

Zirh Scrub is a slightly foaming cleanser with ultra-fine exfoliating beads to leave skin smooth and slough off dead skin. Aloe vera clarifies and refines. This works great on blackhead prone skin and keeps skin looking you and refreshed. While it cleans, it doesn’t leave skin tight or dry. Suggested use is twice a week, but exfoliating-addicted Beau Beau uses it more often. The smell is classic, clean and masculine. If you ladies like woodsy, masculine scents like me… you’ll be tempted to borrow this one.

Right now at BeautyBar.com, buy any Zirh product and receive a deluxe sample of Clean Face Wash for free.