The Beauty Look Book

Dolce & Gabbana Smoky Eyeshadow Quad

2013-05-22T22:35:00.002-07:00

Dolce & Gabbana has released a new eyeshadow quad called Smoky ($59 for .8 g/0.16 oz). It's part of the new True Monica Collection (more details on Makeup and Beauty Blog, Style Bistro and Refinery29). I ordered mine from Saks Houston sight unseen and was thrilled with this beautiful neutral palette. The colors have enough warmth to create a stunning smokey eye that isn't too harsh. This

beautylookbook on instagram

2013-05-22T19:16:00.002-07:00

Follow me on Instagram at beautylookbook :) Some of my favorites on Instagram you should follow: parisinfourmonths Paris in Four Months (blog here) margaret__zhang Shine by Three (blog here) bubblymichelle cafemakeup Café Makeup (blog here) chrisellelim The Chriselle Factor (blog here) theloveassembly The Love Assembly (blog here) lateafternoon Late Afternoon (blog here)

Top Coats: Dior Gel Top Coat vs. Chanel Laque Brilliance Extreme

2013-05-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

We've seen a wave of new nail lacquers and top coats flood the market recently. Brands claim to have developed a formula that will replicate the lush cushy high-shine finish and lasting power that gel manicures provide. I decided to try one, Dior's Gel Top Coat and put it to the test to see how it compared to one of my favorites, Chanel's Laque Brilliance Extreme. Since reviews from others

Loving Right Now

2013-05-18T18:23:00.004-07:00

A few things I'm loving right now: Rifle Paper Co. Stationary found in stores at Pottery Barn for cute notepads and card sets Cute little extras sent from Chanel.com (No 5 gold bookmark) YSL Rose Baby Doll Nail Lacquer is a stunning deep rose cream that I've fallen head over heels for (see the film on YSL.com) Jo Malone Vitamine E Lip Conditioner is hands down the best lip balm I've tried,

Tom Ford Pink Lust Lip Lacquer

2013-05-14T11:44:00.003-07:00

Tom Ford Pink Lust Lip Lacquer ($30 for .5 fl oz/15 ml, limited-edition) is sheer soft pink pearl gloss that comes in a squeeze tube. Much like the other Tom Ford Lip Lacquers Vinyl and the limited-edition Gold Dust from last year, Pink Lust has a lip-balm feel and texture. It's smooth and lightweight with a very sheer veil of shimmer. The pink shimmer is one of the prettiest shimmers I've

Happy Mother's Day

2013-05-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

To all the mothers - Happy Mother's Day to you! I hope you all get to spend some time today with your loved ones :)

Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes: Escapade and Pink Haze

2013-05-08T20:58:00.000-07:00

Tom Ford's new Cream Color for Eyes in Escapade and Pink Haze are the stars of his summer beauty collection ($40 each for .21 oz/6g, both limited-edition). These are a cream shadow with a unique formula that's a cross between a traditional cream eyeshadow and whipped mousse cream. These new colors are the same formula as his original release from last year (see formula review and swatches on

Tom Ford Illuminating Cheek Color in Blush Guilt and Bronzed Amber

2013-05-07T06:29:00.001-07:00

Tom Ford Illuminating Cheek Color is new for summer and comes in two limited-edition shades Blush Guilt 01 and Bronzed Amber 02 ($58 each for .42 oz/12g). Both are packaged in a convenient twist-up stick very much like his stick foundation. Blush Guilt is a sheer pale seashell pink shimmer. It's a dreamy glimmering pink that goes on very sheer on my skin. It does show up pink but the effect

Tom Ford Vapor Nail Lacquer

2013-05-05T21:12:00.000-07:00

Affiliate Links Tom Ford Vapor Nail Lacquer ($30 or .41 fl oz/12 ml) is a new limited-edition pearly white for summer. It's a semi-sheer metallic shade that looks silvery against my olive skin. It has a lovely soft yet crisp clean look. Unfortunately, like many metallics, Vapor applies with visible brush strokes making it look streaky on the nails. It's a shade that requires careful

Mother's Day Shopping List

2013-05-05T12:26:00.003-07:00

Affiliate Links Mother's Day is a week away and if you're like me, you have a mother who always insists that having a simple brunch with her is more than enough to make her happy. My siblings and I still always want to find something special for her to show our appreciation for all that she does. I've compiled a preliminary shopping list for ideas - I'll be narrowing down the

Tom Ford Skin Illuminator Fire Lust

2013-05-04T19:41:00.000-07:00

Tom Ford Skin Illuminator in Fire Lust ($65 for .68 fl oz/20 ml, limited-edition) is new for summer. It's a sheer luminous peachy-pink illuminator that can be used as a highlighter or mixed in with your foundation/tinted moisturizer. I ordered this from Saks last week but it has already sold out online. Stores have limited quantities, I recommend calling your Tom Ford counters soon to order

Tom Ford Summer Beauty 2013

2013-05-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

Affiliate Links The Summer 2013 Collection for Tom Ford Beauty has arrived in select stores and online in very limited quantities. Items popped up online at different locations, I had to do a bit of searching to find all the items. Every piece in the collection has such a gorgeous glowy beachy feel. Reviews and swatches to come soon. I'd recommend ordering soon as some pieces are

Giorgio Armani Summer 2013 Bronze All-Over Palette (Limited-Edition)

2013-04-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

Affiliate Links Giorgio Armani's Bronze All-Over Palette for Summer 2013 just might be this season's prettiest palette ($88, limited-edition). It's a sleek two-tiered palette with a gorgeous bronzer on the top and three shimmery neutrals on the bottom. Many thanks to Café Makeup for giving me the heads up as soon as this arrived online at Giorgio Armani Beauty. It's a luxurious

Le Métier de Beauté's Mikey Castillo and Ivan Castro at Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills - Saturday May 4th

2013-04-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

I have exciting news for those in Southern California: this Saturday, May 4th, Le Métier de Beauté's very own Mikey Castillo and Ivan Castro will be in store at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills from 10 am to 5 pm. Both are fresh off the Oscar de la Renta Spring Bridal fashion show and will be at the Beverly Hills store this weekend to do current spring, upcoming summer and bridal looks for

Chanel Le Vernis Summer 2013: Lilis #647, Azuré #657 and Bel-Argus #667

2013-04-28T13:06:00.002-07:00

Affiliate Links This summer's L’Été Papillon de Chanel collection brings three vibrant options for the nails: Lilis #647, Azuré #657 and Bel-Argus #667 ($27 each, all limited-edition). The color theme of this collection is very different from what Chanel typically designs. As a die-hard Chanel fan I wasn't sure if I would be able to pull off such bold colors for nails but after

Loving Right Now

2013-04-28T07:29:00.003-07:00

http://instagram.com/beautylookbook/# A few things I'm loving right now include these cute little prints from Printstagr.am (love this site to print your Instagram photos), Chanel Lilis 647 Le Vernis, skincare from SK-II (more to come soon) and all of Armani summer. This week's loves: Loving the new YSL Tie & Dye top coats featured on Joeyspace and Ommorphia Beauty Bar Café Makeup shows us

Giorgio Armani Flash Lip Lacquers

2013-04-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

Affiliate Links Armani has released 18 new shades of lip gloss in a new high shine formula called Flash Lip Lacquers ($29 each for 6.5 ml/0.22 fl oz, Nordstrom.com). Armani has revamped and released numerous formulas of lipgloss. Before I saw these in person I thought they would be old discontinued shades brought back under a new name. I was pleased to find the Flash Lip Lacquers

Chanel Azuré #657 Le Vernis

2013-04-25T07:37:00.001-07:00

Affiliate Links Chanel Azuré #657 Le Vernis ($27, new and limited-edition, Nordstrom.com) is this season's prettiest metallic teal for nails. It's one of three nail polishes from the summer collection called L’ÉTÉ PAPILLON DE CHANEL. Sorry for the brief interruption in the Armani features, but this one just couldn't wait. Quick swatches to show the chameleon-like features of Azuré.

Armani Fluid Sheer #5 and #8 - Shade Extensions

2013-04-24T21:14:00.001-07:00

Affiliate Links Armani Fluid Sheers ($59 for 30 ml/1 fl. oz.) are well loved among liquid highlighter fans. This season Armani revamped the packaging and brought out some new shades. You can see the newer shades swatched on Café Makeup's Instagram account. I picked up #5 a light coral peach shimmer and #8 a pale frosted pink. For those new to Armani, Fluid Sheers are liquid

Sneak Peek: Giorgio Armani Summer 2013

2013-04-22T22:31:00.000-07:00

Armani has a number temptations this summer including a collection of new Flash Lip Lacquers newly repackaged Fluid Sheers (with a few new shades) and a breathtaking Bronzer/Shadow palette. I passed on everything from the spring collection but fell in love with summer. If you're an Armani fan, you're bound to fall in love the new items. Swatches to come soon.

Color Focus: Emerald, Aqua, Green and Teal

2013-04-20T13:57:00.002-07:00

Affiliate Links Teal, emerald, green and aqua seem to be the focus for nails in several collections this season. There are a number of gorgeous new green nail polishes - all of which I was unable to resist. Some are more subtle and subdued while others are bright and electric. The new shades this season inspired me to pull out my other greens for comparison. I'm currently running a

Dior Lilac Colorvision #398 Vernis - Sephora Exclusive

2013-04-16T20:12:00.000-07:00

Affiliate Links Dior has released a Sephora-exclusive nail polish called Lilac Colorvision #398 ($24, limited on Sephora.com and in stores). It's a new shade to the US, but actually a repromote of a Japan Exclusive Frou Frou #398 (see review on Ala Peach). It's currently sold out online but the Find In Store feature shows that physical stores should still have it in stock. I found

Edward Bess Black Sea Mousse Foundation with Brush - Light 02 and Medium 03

2013-04-14T16:03:00.001-07:00

Press Sample Edward Bess fans like myself were ecstatic to learn he had his first debut on QVC this past Friday on the Lisa Robertson Show where he launched his new Black Sea Mousse Foundation with Expert Blending Brush (exclusive to QVC.com). I caught the end of his appearance on TV Friday night and by that time, Fair and Light had already sold out. Edward was kind enough to send

Edward Bess to Appear on QVC Tonight April 12, 2013

2013-04-12T17:24:00.000-07:00

Edward Bess fans will be thrilled to know he is scheduled to debut on QVC® tonight, Friday, April 12 at 10 PM (ET) during “The Lisa Robertson Show.” Expanding his Black Sea brand, Bess will introduce the first color cosmetic item offered exclusively through QVC: his Black Sea Complexion Correcting Mousse Foundation and Blending Brush duo (QVC Item #A232023, on QVC.com) will retail for $75.00

Chanel Ocean Shimmer, Seashell, Rose Sauvage and Daydream Glossimers

2013-04-11T22:14:00.002-07:00

Affiliate Links This spring season has brought us a wide selection of new lipgloss formulas and colors. Many lines are expanding their color options or developing new-improved formulas through mini-extension releases. The Revelation de Chanel collection focuses mainly on Glossimers ($29.50 each, Nordstrom.com) with some new colors mixed in with some repromotes. I purchased mine