If you are going to Paris, check out our shopping guides:

Where to shop in Paris for perfume and scented candles

Best spas in Paris

Where to shop in Paris for skin care and beauty products

La Chasse aux Papillons: prelude to summer is a post by Esme Vos on Shopplr - Fashion, beauty, style and shopping.

Le Muguet Guerlain 2013

Notes:

• Top: Green Notes.
• Heart: Lily of the Valley, Lilac.
• Base: Jasmine, Rose.

The second of the new fragrances is Caligna from L’Artisan Parfumeur which they describe as follows: “Caligna honours an emblematic but less well-known ingredient of the Grasse region: The Clary Sage. This fresh, sensual, woody and aromatic ingredient was the starting point for this perfume. The herbal note is enhanced by the fig and jasmine marmalade at the heart of the fragrance, to give the scent a rich and aromatic effect. The warm woody base is underpinned with pine and a resin from the lentisk plant; a distillation of the Mediterranean hillsides in Grasse.”

Caligna from L’Artisan Parfumeur

The third of the new fragrances is a scented candle called Jonquille from Diptyque. Jonquille evokes the floral, green, natural freshness of a bunch of daffodils, picked straight from the garden. Like all Diptyque candles, this one lasts a long time and its scent is heavenly.

Jonquille scent candle from Diptyque

If you love new fragrances and are going to Paris, read Mapplr’s guide on Where to shop in Paris for perfume and scented candles.

Three new fragrances for spring 2013 is a post by Esme Vos on Shopplr - Fashion, beauty, style and shopping.

Although BB creams have been around for at least 2 years, this is Shiseido’s first BB cream release in Europe and North America. I bought this BB cream and am impressed with it for the following reasons:

• Sheer natural coverage that makes the skin look more even and gives it a healthy glow; 
• SPF 35 sunscreen composed of ensulizole (20%), octinoxate (7.4%) and  titanium dioxide (7.2%);
• The Dark shade matches my skin tone perfectly;
• It is not sticky or too creamy and dries down to a perfect finish; and
• You can apply it and run out of the house and your skin will look great.

I recommend the Shiseido BB cream for people with normal to oily skin. For dry skin, this would be too drying.

I compared the texture and shade of Shiseido BB cream in Dark to Clarins BB cream in Warm (the darkest shade) in the photos below. As you can see, Shiseido BB cream is lighter and Clarins is slightly creamier.

Comparison between Shiseido BB cream and Clarins BB cream

Indeed on my skin, Clarins BB cream was just a tad creamier and emollient, but not terribly so. I would recommend both for normal skin. The one disadvantage of this BB cream is that there are only 2 shades.

Shiseido BB Cream review is a post by Esme Vos on Shopplr - Fashion, beauty, style and shopping.

The Belstaff look

Belstaff also makes coats, light jackets, sweaters, trousers, shoes and accessories for men. They have a womenswear line.

One of the best places to shop for Belstaff is Rome, Italy which stocks the full selection of men’s jackets and accessories. Service at the Rome boutique is excellent; staff provide good advice on the styles that fit you and the store carries a wide range of sizes. The store is located on the via del Babuino, close to the Piazza del Popolo. It is also a few minutes away from the via Condotti and Spanish Steps, the heart of designer shopping in Rome.

I have written a separate article entitled Where to Shop in Rome for Men’s Clothes, which lists the best stores in Rome for menswear, shoes, and accessories.

Belstaff jackets for men: modern take on the motorcyle jacket is a post by Arnon Kohavi on Shopplr - Fashion, beauty, style and shopping.

Description from Diptyque website: A special fragrance which pays homage to the most celebrated fir tree in the world, it transports the user straight to the heart of a forest of golden spruce trees. Infused with balmy, comforting and warming notes, it conjures up the sweetness of festive memories.

If you prefer a warmer, more exotic scent, check out Amber Oud, a spicy Oriental blend of rare spices infused with warming resins and balsams.

Perfect winter candle from Diptyque: Sapin Dore is a post by Esme Vos on Shopplr - Fashion, beauty, style and shopping.

Coming soon to Les Exclusifs: Chanel 1932 perfume is a post by Esme Vos on Shopplr - Fashion, beauty, style and shopping.

If you are looking for a simple skin care routine that is effective and doesn’t break your bank account, check out Etat Pur, a French skincare line developed by Bioderma/Institut Esthederm, the same company that is responsible for the amazing Crealine micellar cleansing water, a favorite among fashionistas, models and beauty fanatics around the world. Etat Pur’s skincare system is simple: A + B.

The A refers to “actives”. An “active” is concentrated ingredient in a small air-tight vial and it is designed to address a particular skin problem. For example, if you have small dark spots on your face and you want to fade them, you would use the Arbutin active. If you want to make your skin tone more even, you would use the AHA active. If you want to decrease the appearance of wrinkles, you would go for hyaluronic acid or resveratrol.

The B refers to biomimetic skin care which consists of a series of cleansers, toners, moisturizers that are free of harsh chemicals and work with your particular skin.

Used together, you can find the best A+B combination for your the skin problems that concern you. These can change from time to time. For example in winter, you might choose an A+B combination that addresses the appearance of wrinkles and very dry skin. In the summer, you would look for a combination that includes exfoliation (AHA/citric acid: A60) and a light moisturizing emulsion (B21).

I have been using several Etat Pur products, notably the micellar cleansing water, arbutin active, 4-peptide pro-collagen active, and the melting moisturizing cream. All have been effective. The arbutin has faded my most visible dark spots, the moisturizing cream absorbs quicky and keeps my face hydrated but not greasy, the cleansing water removes makeup and dirt without making my skin feel tight and the 4-peptide active has made my face look clearer and tighter.

The prices of Etat Pur products are reasonable:

• Eau micellaire demaquillante: cleanses effectively without stripping your skin (6.80 EUR)
• Creme fondante hydratante: Melting Moisturizing Cream (8.40 EUR)
• Hyaluronic acid concentrate: 14.80 EUR — many other skin care brands charge 5 to 6 times more for products containing far less concentrations of hyaluronic acid. The same applies to the other actives; they range in price from 8.60 EUR to 17.80 EUR.

Etat Pur has a concept store in Paris, not far from Le Bon Marche, on 24 rue du Regard (75006 Paris, Metro: St-Placide) where you can try their products and get advice. You can also visit the UK online store (www.etatpur.co.uk) or the French online store (www.etatpur.com).

Etat Pur: affordable effective French skincare is a post by Esme Vos on Shopplr - Fashion, beauty, style and shopping.

Left to right: Shiseido foundation brush, Trish McEvoy stipple brush, Bobbi Brown foundation brush

Applying foundation can be tricky. Sometimes you want sheer coverage but at other times, you want medium to full coverage. How do you achieve control over your foundation? This is where the foundation brush comes in. The two most common foundation brushes are the stipple brush (shown in the middle above, from Trish McEvoy) and the flat brush (the last one, from Bobbi Brown).

If you want sheer coverage, use the stipple brush because its fibers are not densely packed, allowing you to spread foundation evenly and lightly with gentle strokes all over the face.

If you want medium to full coverage, use the first brush from Shiseido, whose bristles are thick and dense, therely depositing more foundation on your face per stroke.

The last brush, a flat one from Bobbi Brown, is often used for sheer to medium coverage. I don’t know why these flat brushes are everywhere but I don’t like them because they drag the foundation around your face and cause streaks. You have to work harder and longer to get the streaks to disappear.

Therefore, I suggest you get only the first 2 brushes: the dense Shiseido brush and the stipple brush (which you can buy from Trish McEvoy or other cosmetic brands).

A tale of three foundation brushes is a post by Esme Vos on Shopplr - Fashion, beauty, style and shopping.

Very Sixties Max Mara winter coat is a post by Esme Vos on Shopplr - Fashion, beauty, style and shopping.

Funky patent leather car shoes from Max Mara is a post by Esme Vos on Shopplr - Fashion, beauty, style and shopping.