Belle Belle Beauty

NEST Fine Fragrances Collection for Sephora

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!

Dove Intensive Repair Shampoo and Conditioner

I know you guys have been through this. You try and try to grow out your hair. And then, at some point, the realization sinks in that you’ve got a significant amount of dead and split ends. Then comes the inevitable “trim” when you have to suck it up while a couple inches are loped off your locks. After about four years of growing out my hair, I had some great length. But I knew it was time to clean things up. So at the beginning of this month, I cut about four inches (check out this post for details).

After that experience, I vowed to take better care of my hair, nourishing it and avoiding heat styling when I could. I jumped at the chance to try out Dove’s Intensive Repair Shampoo and Conditioner. Hopefully their formulas could help heal and halt any further damage, especially since I’ve started coloring my hair.

Thicker masks that promise to repair my hair often weigh down my fine strands. Dove Intensive Repair delivers moisture without making my hair limp. Keratin Repair Actives helps absorb already present keratin and repairs at the cellular level. Even after blow drying, my hair was ultra-soft and shiny. I loved the fruity, yet sophisticated scent. And the drugstore price point can’t be beat. I’m keeping Intensive Repair in the rotation to ensure my (shorter) hair stays healthy. Maybe one day I’ve finally have ultra-long hair with perfectly healthy ends!

Also worth noting, Dove’s Great Hair Affair Sweepstakes where you can win thousands of prizes! Don’t miss the festivities here.

Dove understands that having beautiful, healthy-looking hair gives you the confidence to feel your best. Whether your hair is dry or damaged, Dove has a tailor-made solution for your hair care needs. After just one wash hair is shiny, healthy-looking and full of life. Thanks to Dove, you can look and feel beautiful from the inside out.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Dove via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Dove.

Fall Nails By Revlon: Iconic and Hearts of Gold FX

This weekend, I was thrilled to host Tulsa’s Saks Fifth Avenue Fall Beauty and Fashion Trend show. We shared our favorite beauty products and fashion looks, snacked on mini cupcakes and drank up Sofia champagne from those adorable mini-cans. We had a great turnout despite the rainy day. That morning, we woke to our first true drizzly fall storm. Turned out my manicure matched with its same gritty gray. Like the fashion looks we featured, moto jackets, boots and leather, Revlon Iconic was inky, moody and urban.

I love Iconic just on its own. It is clean, crisp and a new classic. But if you want to change it up and add a little festivity… Layer Hearts of Gold FX on one accent nail. To really amp it up, add a layer of Hearts of Gold FX on all nails for a “starry night” effect. The glitter texture actually can help a manicure last even longer.

I particularly liked this glitter formula because it wasn’t hard to remove like others. I have a feeling I’ll be reaching Hearts of Gold FX to layer on other looks all year long.

Revlon believes there is more than one way for women to be seen. Revlon’s heritage as a color authority and its suite of innovative products inspires women around the world to express themselves through beauty each and every day.

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Revlon Consumer Products via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Revlon Consumer Products.

September Favorites

Here’s September’s issue of my little online shopping wishlist. Anything jump onto your wishlist too? Would love to hear your favorites.

If you are reading this in an email or reader, please click through for the full experience.

Lovely Links

Today really marks the beginning of fall for me because I am off to host Saks Fifth Avenue’s Fall Beauty and Fashion Trend Show here in Tulsa. I’m excited to see all the inspiring clothes, share my favorite beauty trends for fall and sip on a little champagne! (If you are in the area, swing by between 1pm and 3pm). Then it is off to watch some football with family and friends. Could there be a better fall day? Here are a couple gems I’ve found around the web this week. Hope you enjoy and Happy Saturday!

– an inspiring story I found in marie claire

– i’ve relaunched my fashion tumblr, su-perb.com! please stop by and subscribe if you would like looks delivered every morning to your inbox

– I am so happy to be featured with my favorite fall beauty pick on makeup.com

– love this story about my fellow beauty blogger, politics of pretty, going for red

– great to know: ten foods to beat the blues

– can’t miss beauty pinterest boards

image here

Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Foundation Powder

I used to think that those who used a powder foundation were somewhat a rare and exotic breed. I never understood the draw, maybe other than portability. The matte look and cakey finish just wasn’t flattering. And there were plenty of oil-free liquid foundations if you had oilier skin that did a great job.

Then Laura Mercier went and did something totally different. With my preconceptions, I was a little hesitant when this new foundation formulation landed on my desk. But Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Foundation Powder promised a silky, natural feel. Directly from Laura’s mouth, she promised a matte finish without being “dead matte”. Maybe this is the way I can finally rock that fall trend of matte skin without looking dusky?

Amazingly, this oil-free powder went onto my skin like silk. It gave a luminous glow and actually hydrated. Applied either wet or dry, you can get a range of coverage. I like using a buffing brush dry for a very sheer look. Use the enclosed sponge dry and apply like pressed powder for slightly more coverage. Or dampen the sponge and apply for medium to full coverage.

I’ve been wearing shade 5 (Linen) and 6 (Wheat), but I can tell it will only be a couple more weeks and I will be wearing 4 (Buff) as my tan fades. Again, I applaud Laura Mercier with her comprehensive offering of 20 shades.

Available at Nordstrom, Sephora, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.