flaneuse

Chanel Illusion d'Or and Black Velvet

I was super excited to order these from Chanel this past week. They are part of a limited edition. I decided to pass on the Gold Lamé color because I already have Gold Fiction from Chanel's 2008 collection. Illusion d'Or is very sheer, more like opalescent gold leaf suspended in clear lacquer. It looks great worn over most nail colors. I want to pair it over Riviera and also Gold Fiction. Black Velvet is amazing. It's not really a true "matte" finish--more of a vinyl finish. It is not as shiny as a traditional polish but has a slight sheen to it. I'm not sure if I will wear it this spring/summer but definitely in the fall/winter.

Chanel Riviera

I feel like Tinsley with this gorgeous hot pink shade. Nice cream color, no shimmer.

The Secret to Eternal Summer

I know sun tanning is definitely bad for your skin and health, so here is what I use to keep me from looking like a Twilight extra. And especially, when I am in Italy, being pale (along with having super white teeth lol) marks you as Not From Here, and it's always nice to blend in. So, here are some of my favorite products that will give you a little tan without the sun damage. 

 

Fake Bake self tanning mousse is my favorite by far. I do find that it is a little more time consuming to apply (you will want to use gloves) but boy does it work well. It's very easy to blend. I use this on my face as well and it has never broken me out. Unless you completely miss a spot you will not streak. And it looks extremely natural, even on someone very fair skinned like myself.

My second favorite is Tan Towel Towelettes . These are super easy and streak free, and you don't need to wear gloves to apply it. It dries very quickly.  Get the medium to dark skin tone one--I do and I am very fair skinned. I think the fair-medium would have been to pale.

And last, to keep your faux tan and your skin looking gorgeous:

 

Tan Towel On the Glow daily moisturizer. This is fantastic. It has a very light citrus scent that fades quickly. I use this to help maintain my tan and it really works.  I tried using this on my face but it did cause some irritation so I stopped. Instead, I now use Boots No7 Sheer and Soft tinted moisturizer and a little T. LeClerc bronzing powder. 

Chanel Inattendu

This is a great neutral. Kind of a warm, peach toned shade.

 

Things I Love:

Chanel Rodeo Drive nail color

Eve Lom update

I have to say, I am hooked on the Eve Lom cleanser. It really has made a positive difference in my skin. The biggest difference I've noticed is that all the fine lines around my right eye are gone. That's enough improvement to sell me. I think overall my skin looks more even in tone, more glowy, and smoother. I've streamlined my night routine too--the past couple weeks I've only been using Ponds cold cream+a swissper square to remove my makeup and then the Eve Lom cleanser to remove everything else. I haven't used my clarisonic in a few weeks--this routine seems to exfoliate enough. I've been using La Mer cream as a night moisturizer but I do find I can skip this step occasionally. My morning skin routine is still the same--cleanse with shu umera cleansing oil, exfoliate with either clinic 7 day scrub or aveeno scrub, and moisturize with either the original oil of olay or my travel size Eve Lom day moisturizer. I'm not too impressed with the Eve Lom day moisturizer, the TLC moisturizer or the emergency masque.

Eve Lom

I'm so thrilled to finally be testing out Eve Lom's skincare line. I ordered the Eve Lom travel kit from beauty.com. It contains the fabled cleansing cream, a muslin cloth, the TLC cream, a masque, the daily SPF 15 moisturizer, and a hand cream with SPF 10, plus a handy case that holds everything! Right now I am working the cleansing cream into my routine as a last step. My evening routine is as follows--Bear in mind I have very dry skin and I wear makeup just about every day. I like to make sure I get it all off! 1) apply Pond's cold cream 2) remove with a Swisspers cotton square 3) spray face with avene water and apply cetaphil gel cleanser 4) clarisonic with sensitive brush 5) spray face with avene water and apply avene micellar lotion with swisspers cooton square 6) Eve Lom cleansing cream 7) apply retin-A & cream de la mer We'll see how it goes. The cleanser seems v moisturizing so far. I also am enjoying the face lotion with SPF. It skins right in and feels very hydrating.

Chanel particuliere

My new favorite neutral polish.