Category: bath and body

NEST Fine Fragrances Collection for Sephora

NEST Fine Fragrances Collection for Sephora // Belle Belle Beauty

Today is a big day for one of my most beloved brands. I first fell for NEST Fragrances as a home fragrance company. I love their artful candles and diffusers and the character of the company led by former Wall Street-er, Laura Slatkin. Last year, they made a foray into personal goods with amazing body creams, hand soaps and body wash. And then they really wooed me. With their launch of fine fragrances, I had found my signature scent, Midnight Fleur.

Starting today, NEST fragrances are lining the shelves in 160 Sephora stores. The first thing you’ll notice about these scents is the artful packaging inspired by botanical artwork from the 18th century. Appropriately, all five fragrances have an very natural, sophisticated feeling and wear beautifully on the skin. While Amazon Lily, Midnight Fleur and Passiflora have been around for a while, there are two new Sephora-exclusive scents to explore: Dahlia & Vines and White Sandalwood.

Dahlia & Vines is decidedly floral with peony, dahlia, rose and daffodil. Those notes are balanced with amber, vanilla, pink pepper and raspberry. I find this fragrance super feminine and refined. Its the perfect choice for those drawn to rose-like scents.

White Sandalwood, a new personal favorite, has that Asian air with Indian sandalwood and exotic spices. Woody and decadent notes like almond and musk make this scent hefty, heady and sensual.

My signature scent, Midnight Fleur, was a 2013 Fragrance Foundation Awards Finalist for Women’s Prestige Fragrance (what can I say? I have good taste). The woodsy scent is fairly bold but has a gourmand character with vanilla. Patchouli, jasmine and amber join the party to make it completely irresistible.

Amazon Lily is playful, delicate and springy. Delicate florals mix with citrus (Brazilian lime and  tangerine). Driftwood and musk anchor the scent.

Passiflora is a statement in green fragrance with notes of passion flower, water hyacinth, lily of the valley. Bergamot and clementine lighten this modern and elegant scent.

All five scents are available in Eau De Parfum Spray and Eau De Parfum Rollerball. Look for the Eau De Parfume Collection and Luxurious Hand Creams in October 2013 (available online now).

AN EDITORIAL SAMPLE MAY HAVE BEEN PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY AND EVALUATED TO DETERMINE OUR OPINION OF THE PRODUCT IN THIS POST. PLEASE SEE THE DISCLOSURES PAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING OUR POLICIES FOR USING EDITORIAL SAMPLES.

psss – get an extra 30% off sale with code FALL30!

Body Care For Fall

Body Care For Fall // Belle Belle Beauty

I love transitions between seasons. Sifting through makeup, fashion and fragrances, I’ve been rotating in more fall-friendly shades, textures and notes. My fruity perfume was temporarily retired while I returned to my beloved NEST Fragrances Midnight Fleur (and new White Sandlewood – more on that next week!). Sweaters are pulled down from the top shelf. And deeper, richer hues adorn my eyes and lips.

But routines don’t stop changing there. Taking care of your body, skin and health also requires some adjustment. Especially if you live in a part of the country that gets über dry. Read on for my top five body care items for the fall:

The newest scent from Bliss is ‘Grapefruit + Aloe’ which might sound more like Spring, but it is putting a pep in my step. Bliss ‘Grapefruit + Aloe’ Body Butter soothes my easily irritated skin and this long time favorite formula has no greasy feel. It also comes in a body wash and bubble bath.

Caudalie stole my heart when they came out with Divine Oil. The spray body oil has the best scent and is so nourishing for my skin. Now they really outdid themselves with Divine Legs, a perfectly bronze-y tinted lotion that works to improve the look of your legs (or arms or decolletage). Skip the hassle of self-tanner and slather on notes of grapefruit, rose, pink pepper, vanilla, cedar, and white musk.

Tom Ford Black Orchid Hydrating Emulsion is the ultimate in luxe body care. His fragrances are so perfectly unisex and those masculine notes fit with the changing season. This satin-like hydrating treatment has woodsy, spicy and floral notes.

You know me… I can’t resist a good body oil (see above). And Clarins ‘Tonic’ Body Treatment Oil goes above and beyond. This formula works to firm skin and can prevent pregnancy or weight loss related stretch marks. And you can’t beat the scent thanks to natural plant extracts and aromatic essential oils.

And I know I’ve mentioned it before, but this self-tanner takes the cake if you want to prolong that summer glow. Vita Liberata pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Mousse is super long-lasting, has great color and is odorless. I like applying with a mitt using Medium, but it is also available in Dark. Bonus for a gluten, cruelty, and oil free formula.

AN EDITORIAL SAMPLE MAY HAVE BEEN PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY AND EVALUATED TO DETERMINE OUR OPINION OF THE PRODUCT IN THIS POST. PLEASE SEE THE DISCLOSURES PAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING OUR POLICIES FOR USING EDITORIAL SAMPLES.

New From NEST: Vanilla Orchid & Almond

New From NEST: Vanilla Orchid & Almond // Belle Belle Beauty

Reason number one I am excited for this cold to be over? To return to enjoying my newest favorite from NEST: Vanilla Orchid & Almond. Hopefully after a trip to the doctor’s and a steroid shot this morning, I’ll be on the mend after eight days of congestion.

Truly for the gourmand, this new scent has Mediterranean almond, peach, apple, coconut milk and vanilla. All that yummy sweet nuttiness is blended with white orchid, amber, musk and patchouli. I love the way the oriental fragrance infuses my apartment with a sophisticated deliciousness. And it couldn’t be more perfect for our cozy, colder fall days.

Available at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and nestfragrances.com.

AN EDITORIAL SAMPLE MAY HAVE BEEN PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY AND EVALUATED TO DETERMINE OUR OPINION OF THE PRODUCT IN THIS POST. PLEASE SEE THE DISCLOSURES PAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING OUR POLICIES FOR USING EDITORIAL SAMPLES.

Divine Caudalie and NYC Vinexpert Celebration Event

Divine Caudalie and NYC Vinexpert Celebration Event // Belle Belle Beauty

I wasn’t sure Caudalie could impress me more after I fell hard for their Divine Oil. But they recently blew me away with a whole collection of goodies based on the Divine Oil. First up, a little recap on the body oil I continue to reach for after all these months:

Caudalie Divine Oil:

This stuff smells most like my beloved Tocca and its spray dispenser makes it easy to measure out reasonable doses. The vegetable oil blend is quite the multi-tasker, perfect for in the bath, right out of the shower, on hair or even nails. The fragrance Moroccan rose, Bulgarian rose, grapefruit, pink pepper, cedar, vanilla and white musk can also be a treat during a massage.

Caudalie Divine Scrub:

With the same lovely scent, this scrub uses natural plant oils and brown sugar for a gentle exfoliation. I get a little foaming action – which I love. Not only does it leave a little fragrance, but my skin is insanely soft thanks to the oils. Prefect prep for my Divine Oil addiction.

Caudalie Divine Legs:

And the real gem of the collection. I didn’t think anything could make me drool more than the Divine Oil, but this new cult classic was worth the effort to track down. It has been selling out like crazy. I’m already hooked as my summer glow is fading. This isn’t a self tanner but gives the perfect instant touch of sun. It isn’t terribly tinted, making it almost universal. It also acts as a great lotion. And the bronze finish is instantly slimming. This is definitely a fall must have for me.

Caudalie Vinexpert Celebration NYC // Belle Belle Beauty

And for you lucky little devils that live in New York City… You must know about a celebration at the Caudalie boutiques coming up. The festivities are in honor of the vine harvest and Caudalie’s newly reformulated Vinexpert line with Resveratrol. Enjoy instant-lift mini facials, French cheese and Grand Cru sips. There is a $25 reservation fee that can be used as store credit at the party. May I suggest something from the Divine Collection?! Details:

315 Bleecker St. (@ Grove) September 20-21 (Friday & Saturday)

1031 Lexington Ave. (@74th) September 26-27 (Thursday & Friday)

Please RSVP at www.caudalie.eventbrite.com

AN EDITORIAL SAMPLE MAY HAVE BEEN PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY AND EVALUATED TO DETERMINE OUR OPINION OF THE PRODUCT IN THIS POST. PLEASE SEE THE DISCLOSURES PAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING OUR POLICIES FOR USING EDITORIAL SAMPLES.

Kooba for AHAVA Body Care Set (Nordstrom Exclusive)

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Attention deal hunters! Major alert. This adorable set from Kooba and AHAVA makes for a great little gift, back to school treat or just a little something for yourself. Personally, I can’t think of anything better than fashion and beauty married together – NARS and Pierre Hardy, anyone? And AHAVA has been high on my list ever since an aunt shared a collection with me about ten Christmases ago.

This time, packaged in an adorable Kooba clutch (cousin Holly… I can totally see you wearing this!) are three mineral body care products that will rock your world. The scents AHAVA manages to capture are spa like and pleasant but not at all too heavy. The set includes:

  • Mineral Body Exfoliator (perfectly sized pink beads exfoliate while a gel mildly foams, leaving clean and soft skin)
  • Mineral Body Lotion (a beachy, clean and light scent keeps my skin hydrated for hours)
  • Mineral Hand Cream (not too greasy of a formula absorbs fast)

Available exclusively at Nordstrom.

AN EDITORIAL SAMPLE MAY HAVE BEEN PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY AND EVALUATED TO DETERMINE OUR OPINION OF THE PRODUCT IN THIS POST. PLEASE SEE THE DISCLOSURES PAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING OUR POLICIES FOR USING EDITORIAL SAMPLES.

mark Coconut Treat Collection

mark Coconut Treat Collection // Belle Belle Beauty

The last throws of summer call for something beachy. And so I am gobbling up the Coconut Treat collection from mark. I’ve already gotten tons of compliments on the scent (guys love it!). The blend is totally tropical with coconut water and mandarin layered with hazelnut and coconut cream. The culinary spiciness also makes it great to transition into fall! The collection includes:

  • Hand It Over Super Moisture Hand Cream in Coconut Treat
  • Get Misty Coconut Treat Body Mist (hydrated and leaves the perfect amount of fragrance)
  • Whipped Up Coconut Treat Body Butter (all day hydration)
  • Sheen Stealer Coconut Treat Dry Oil Body Spray

I’m also loving the 3-in-1 cleanser in Coconut Treat, although it appears to be sold out on line. You can use these as a body wash, bubble bath or gentle daily-use shampoo and they all leave behind a delicate scent. There are lots of other fragrances available in this multi-talented body wash here. Shop the Coconut Treat collection here.

AN EDITORIAL SAMPLE MAY HAVE BEEN PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY AND EVALUATED TO DETERMINE OUR OPINION OF THE PRODUCT IN THIS POST. PLEASE SEE THE DISCLOSURES PAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING OUR POLICIES FOR USING EDITORIAL SAMPLES.