Product Review: Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24H

My favorite foundation at the moment is the Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24H which retails $45.00 at department stores.  I absolutely love this foundation and have been using it for years.

Lancôme boasts that this formula is, “blendable and fresh texture leaves the complexion perfectly smooth, velvety matte with no powdery effect. The full coverage you need – flaws, pores, redness and all imperfections visibly disappear. The velvety finish you love for 24-hour lasting perfection and comfort.”   Did I find all of this to be true – Yes!!

I went into the Lancôme counter at Macy’s to get a shade consultation.  Apparently this foundation comes in comes in 28 different colors and contains SPF 15!  Woohoo! The 360 Bisque N matched absolutely perfectly with my skin. A lot of my friends have said that they can’t even notice I am wearing foundation. 

This foundation is full coverage with a matte finish.  I’m not sure about the whole “24 hour” lasting foundation since it's gross not to take off your makeup before going to bed, but this foundation does last ALL day. I can go to work for 9+ hours, go out afterwards for dinner, come home and my foundation will still be intact. 

So how do I use this foundation?  First, I apply my moisturizer and then let it dry a little.  Sometimes I'll use a primer over the moisturizer under my foundation.  Next, I'll usually use 1 pump of the foundation onto my hand and then apply the foundation using a foundation brush or a sponge.  The foundation is very smooth and blends perfectly.  It makes my skin flawless and covers up any dark spots.  It does not make my face feel oily or shiny. 

This makeup is excellent to use for parties or special events since it blurs out pores and photographs wonderfully.  I also did not experience any breakouts which was great. 

You can get this foundation here: Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24H

Issa London x Collection Launches at Banana Republic

The hours this morning seemed to drag on and on and on.  When the time on my desktop hit 12:00PM noon, I grabbed my Louis Vuitton handbag and ran out of work down to Walnut Street.  Now, today might seem like a normal Thursday, but to us fashionistas today is the day for retail reckoning.  

Today's the day us fashionistas get a chance to get our hands on the Issa London x Collection at Banana Republic! Issa London became popular after Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, wore an iconic royal blue wrap dress for her engagement to Prince William back in November 2010.  Below is the exact outfit she wore - it's so chic! The picture on the right side is the Issa Collection Three-Quarter Sleeve Wrap Dress which retails for $130.

Image provided by Stylenews

A typical Issa dress can run anywhere from $500 to $700 but with this new collaboration, Issa London is bringing affordable prices to Banana Republic, making clothing more accessible to the average woman with prices ranging from $39 to $150. The collection has 40 pieces and is available online and in select stores.The collection includes pretty dress, scarves, jewelry, blouses, and knits.

So back to my story.  I ran all the way to Banana Republic in Center City and was so glad to see *drum roll please* Issa dresses still available - Score! I instantly started grabbing dresses in every color to try on - royal blue, purple, white with spots (the one which Naomi Watts was pictured in), green, black... etc! I would say that probably the end of the day today the collection will be sold out as everyone wants to be wearing what Kate Middleton is wearing! I ended up getting a couple of things (you'll have to keep reading the blog in the future days to come to see pictures of what I bought)!

The fit on the dresses are perfect as I'm 5'7" and the size small came right below my knees.  The extra-small comes above my knees but I like the longer length since I could wear the dresses to work as well and get more use out of them. 

Few pictures from the collection... 

What do you think about the collection? Will you be buying any of the pieces?!

DIY Body Scrub

I absolutely love anything that has to do with do-it-yourself ("DIY")! Today I wanted to share a very simple DIY Body Scrub that I make quite often.  This DIY Body Scrub leaves your skin feeling super amazing, silky and soft.  This Body Scrub also exfoliates your skin and leaves your skin feeling moisturized. Why buy a body scrub at the store when you can make it at home for just a fraction of the cost?!

Ingredients:

1 cup olive oil
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup raw oatmeal (I used steal cut oats)

1. Measure out all ingredients outlined above

2. Mix ingredients together in a bowl

3. Apply mixture to skin in circular motions then rinse off!

This DIY Body Scrub also makes a great gift.  You can make a large batch and then put them in cute little containers and give them to all your friends! 

You can also do different variations such as adding in a drop of vanilla extract, lavender essential oil, lemon essential oil, for an additional soothing smell. I hope you all enjoyed this DIY Body Scrub!

Product Review: Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector

I always love trying out new eye creams.  A couple of month ago I got my hands on the Clinique Even Better Eyes (retails for $41.00 for 0.34oz) which is an oil-free hydrating cream that lightens dark under eye circles.

This eye cream is a tinted nude color cream which acts to de-puff and eliminate dark under eye circles.  Because of the tinted color, I would opt for using this during the day versus nighttime.  However, I would not just rely on this cream to cover up dark circles under makeup - I would still use a separate concealer.  

Clinique boasts that this cream is clinically proven to visibly lighten dark circles by 30% in 12 weeks.  Did I find this to be true? Definetly not. Even after using this cream after a couple of months.  I did not see any brightening of my under eye circles.  

The cream itself feels lightweight. You apply the cream by gently squeezing a small amount of product out of the tube and the using the applicator to spread the cream under your eye in a back and forth motion.  The applicator creates a cooling effect and is much better than using your finger to spread the cream under your eyes.  You should use this cream twice a day, and reapply as needed throughout the day.  

Black Lace Dress

Happy Monday loves! Today I felt like wearing a fun, lace dress to work. The dress in itself is quite a statement with a cute floral cotton design, a flattering flare silhouette and an empire waist seaming.  The dress is also the perfect amount of sleeveless for those who have a corporate job like me.  I can see myself wearing this dress to so many different occasions – work, out to dinner, at a party, or a wedding... The options are endless!

The back of the dress has a keyhole detail with a back neck button closure.  Also, my favorite part of the dress is the exposed back zip with oversized grosgrain tie.

Here is my Alex and Ani bangle with one of my all time favorite quotes! How cute is this?!

Outfit Details: 

Dress: Floral Cotton Eyelet Flare dress in Black from LOFT (Get it here, retails $98.00) Shoes: Levity Jalone Pump in Nude/Black Reptile (Get it here, retails $59.95)
Wallet: Tory Burch
Bracelet: Alex & Ani “Everything Happens For a Reason Charm” Bangle in Russian Gold (Get it here, retails for $32.00)
Watch: Bulova (Similar here, retails $298.00)