Happy 10 year Anniversary Tom Ford Black Orchid! In a decade you’ve become an icon and a staple on my fragrance wall. It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade! The Black Orchid empire is ever growing as is the whole Tom Ford beauty brand. There’s such magic and power with every product they launch. I fell like a million bucks every time I open a new Tom Ford Beauty product (my next splurge is the Tom Ford Venetian Bergamot fragrance and Tom Ford Electric Pink Lip Color — I actually have a running list of my next buys from them every time I purchase). The Tom Ford Orchid Collection continues to grow with some exciting new launches I’m excited to share!
Tom Ford Lip Color in shade Black Orchid
Last week, I joined the brand *squeal* to celebrate this milestone at Christie’s New York for a private exhibition for Black Orchid and the Tom Ford Orchid Collection with an exclusive look at what’s ahead. For Starters the signature Black Orchid collection now includes a Solid Perfume, the Black Orchid Lip Color (worn above and swatched below) as well as the NIGHTBLOOM Powder in shade Black Boom, which is the stunning gold-ish highlighter seen below. Both carry the signature black texture stripe packaging of the original fragrance and are currently available and exclusive to tomford.com.
This month Tom Ford is launching the a new fragrance as part of the Orchid Collection. Pictured below, Orchid Soleil joins the family in the same iconic glass bottle, only in Rose Gold. The scent is a unique mix of the Black Orchid accord surrounded in tuberose as well as Spider Lily Accord, Vanilla, Chestnut, Cream Accord and Patchouli. It doesn’t do for me when the original does but I’m trying to get used to it. It’s a signature scent with a lot of personality that I’m still discovering.
This is my first weekend at home, in my bed in months! Isn’t that crazy? And my entire apartment is a mess. Living in NYC and being a full-time beauty and fashion blogger comes with a lot of perks. As most of you see from my daily unboxings on snapchat (@prettyconnected if you want to follow me) I get flooded with surprise packages everyday and while it’s beyond flattering and exciting… averaging in an intake of 200+ products a month in an NYC apartment is stressful. So much so James is considering moving out because he can’t handle the clutter.
Let me give you an idea of my living room with a before and after. Or rather I’m putting the after up so you can get a sense of how zen my life feels when I’m organized. And the after below so you can feel how stressed it is walking into a cluttered apartment and know you have 15 more boxes to open and try to find homes for. I shoot a lot in my living room but I find it so unacceptable that I let the clutter take over the this extent.
Normally I have the situation moderately handled but when I’m traveling non-stop everything gets out of control and my apartment looks like a picked through Sephora sample sale. One of my favorite beauty device brands, NuFACE created a Clutter Cleanse Challenge with a 28 day plan to help inspire beauty enthusiasts to toss expired products, get rid of clothing they no longer wear, among other challenges to help you keep sane — I think the hashtag says it all: #LessStuffMoreMe.
MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour in shade Divine Divine
If there’s one thing I learned this weekend it’s that staycations are all they are cracked up to be. Charlie and I partnered with the Renaissance Hotel in Times Square this weekend and it’s been one of the most relaxing weekends I’ve had in a long time. And the best part of being 15 minutes from my apartment is I didn’t overpack. Instead I brought a bunch of lightweight dresses in anticipation of this weekends heat wave and some of my cult favorite beauty and skincare products as well as an assortment of MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolours which launched earlier this year.
I’m usually gravitate to the brightest pink but surprisingly the more dusted pink shade, Divine Divine shade (I’m wearing above) was one of my favorites. The consistency is similar to Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipsticks and like many of the true liquid mattes it is a little drying but the stay power is excellent. And the pigment and shade range is gorgeous. There are 20 shades in the collection, five of which are swatched below:
Going left to right, MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour shades: High Drama, Recollection, Divine Divine, Personal Statement, Quite the Standout.
MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour, $20. Learn more at nordstrom.com
It’s time! The Nordstrom 2016 Anniversary Sale is here and as always, it’s filled with exclusives and limited edition beauty products and sets at awesome values. It also spans fashion and other categories as well. I got an exclusive peek at some of the beauty sets — complete with brands like Clarisonic, NARS, Charlotte Tilbury, Kate Somerville, Clinique, Jo Malone, La Praire, Diptyque, Kiehl’s, MAC, Mario Badescu — basically all of our favorite brands and countless more who never discount their products are taking part! Expect a lot of limited edition jumbo sizes of the brands bestsellers, fun never-before seen sets and palettes. Categories range from beauty, skincare, electrics and tools, fragrances and beyond! Here’s some of the offerings you have to look forward to:
Thrive Causemetics is one of those empowering brands, that takes beauty with a purpose to a whole new level. Their founder + CEO, Karissa Bodnar is an incredible woman who makes the world a better place. We share a mission of wanting to empower women to feel confident through beauty, mine with with blog and my Share Your Beauty foundation, and Karissa with all that she does for women fighting cancer. For every product purchased from the line, one is donated to a woman going through cancer treatment. She also names her products after inspiring woman. Having made a large splash in the industry with their line of lashes and lash glue, they have now expanded past eyes and brows to their first major color launch, Triple Threat Color Stick. To blush and highlight, these sticks can be used on cheeks, eyes and lips. They are paraben and sulfate free and infused with age-defying vitamin C and evening primrose oil to brighten and hydrate skin. They blend beautifully and includes a built-in brush to effortlessly apply and sculpt. Just the name Triple Threat alone makes you feel like a bad a$$ putting them on.
There are four shades in the collection: Maggie (rose pink shimmer) and Joy (pearl white with a twinge of rose gold shimmer), Dionne (brick red shimmer), Olivia (coral shimmer) all swatched above in order left to right, top to bottom. Great for travel with a very pretty prismatic sheen these are four very pretty, wearable shades that are perfect for summer.
Wearing Hot Lip shade Miranda May inspired by Miranda Kerr
Charlotte Tilbury newest drool worthy lipstick collection, Hot Lips is here! And launched exclusively on CharlotteTilbury.com last week. The collection of 12 lipsticks was inspired by top beauties and celebrities including: Miranda Kerr, Nicole Kidman, Salma Hayek, Kate Bosworth, Laura bailey, Cindy Crawford, Helena Bonham-Carter, Liv Tyler, Emily Ratajkowski, Carina Lau, Poppy Delevingne and Kim Kardashian-West.
Charlotte drew inspiration from each woman – either for their beauty, their style, their power or for their positive message for good – and bottled it in the ultimate all-female beauty collaboration. For the two first months of the launch, a portion of each Hot Lips lipstick sale will be donated to the life-changing charity, Women for Women International.
The promo video for the collection has me like woah! I want them all…
Shades availabile in: Electric Poppy, Miranda May, Kim K.W., Bosworth’s Beauty, Salma’s Secret, Liv It Up, Hot Emily, Hel’s Bells, Kidman’s Kiss, Super Cindy, Carina’s Love, and Tell Laura. The Hot Lips Collection will also include best-selling shades Penelope Pink, Sexy Sienna, Nude Kate and Very Victoria.
This post is sponsored by Vocalpoint and P&G. All opinions and tips are my own.
Whenever I’m at COSTCO with my Dad, I’m always astounded by their beauty aisle. They have an awesome assortment of P&G brands, Olay, Gillette, Secret, Crest, Head & Shoulders… And with two kids in college they are always stocking on razors, deodorant, shampoo and just about everything else. I always get a kick out playing beauty expert and giving my recommendations. It’s the perfect place to stock up and get discounts on everyday items you never want to be without.
To celebrate summer, I’m partnering with COSTCO to share 5 beauty hacks from their beauty aisle:
1. Crest 3D White Luxe Glamorous Whitestrips (or 1HR Express) – White strips are a proven way to get your teeth whiter over time but if you’re looking for a 1 day instant bright switch them out every 15 minutes instead of wearing one for the full hour. Most bleach strips deliver their maximum efficiency within the first 15 minutes so if you’re looking for a quick fix for that big event, try it out!
2. Gillette Venus Spa Razor – a two in one razor is a travel hack in itself. With a built-in shave gel bar, this razor alleviates any need to pack or use an additional shave gel or soap. Shaving also exfoliates legs so doing so before applying a self-tanner will result in a longer lasting (and smoother) application.
3. Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream – This is one of the most recognized and awarded anti-aging creams on the market. In fact, it’s the #1 selling anti-aging moisturizer, so being able to purchase it at a premium price for a double pack at Costco this should be my discount hack — but it’s not. This hack goes out to all the moisturizers we bought and didn’t love, or felt the need to use up before replacing it with something new we wanted to try. Instead of tossing it and feeling wasteful any creams that underwhelm you leave by the shower and use on your feet post-cleanse. With all the miles you put in on your feet they could use the boost and chances are there are some great ingredients in your existing cream it could benefit from. Or at the very least help keep them moisturized.
4. Dawn Liquid Soap – an unexpected beauty contender but one that’s served me well. For two things, stripping my hair of color (I had a recent purple disaster before heading to Coachella when my colorist left the color on too long!) and cleaning my makeup brushes. I washed my hair 3x’s day with Dawn for 4 days to strip the color. It’s also a great makeup brush cleaner, as is clarifying or baby shampoos (and most shampoos in general!). You can also add the smallest drop of conditioner (Pantene Advanced Care Conditioner works great!) to help keep brushes soft.
Yesterday I crossed a huge bucket list item off when my friends at SinfulColors invited me to be on their float for Pride. This year marks my 15th year in NYC and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. After Orlando, I had a lot to say but no words and what I realized more then anything Is that I wanted to be apart of this big day and show my support for the LGBT (I may be missing a few letters…) community.
The parade featured 2,000 marchers and 85 floats! 12:30pm was our call time to meet on ours at 38th and 5th. It can take up to two hours (and it was close to that) before your float gets cleared to head down 5th Avenue and join in the parade, which ends Greenwich Village’s Stonewall Inn; the birthplace of the gay rights movement. It was recently granted national monument status.
Yesterday, Jamie King and NEUTROGENA hosted the Long Live Skin event, helping to raise awareness around the importance of skin health among occasional SPF users and encourage daily sunscreen use. You all know how seriously I take this subject. At all times I have a SPF in my makeup case, a full stock in my bathroom and by the door for when I take Charlie out in the mornings (he even has his own special dog SPF). Regardless of the season, weather, or where you are in the world, any part of your skin that is exposed to the sun should have a minimum on an SPF 25 on it. Applying sunscreen is the number one way to prevent wrinkles, dark spots and oh yeah, skin cancer! There’s a reason it’s every beauty experts #1 anti-aging tip, because nothing will age your skin faster than exposing it to harmful rays. Scroll to the bottom for the Q&A with Jaime King, but first I need to drill in a few points and recent findings!
Owning an SPF and wearing an SPF are not the same thing. Nor does it count if you only wear it when you’re at the beach. Yes, you get brownie points for that but you’re missing the point on how much this needs to be a part of your daily routine. Unless of course you’re in your house all day, not sitting by the window or in a car where the UV rays can reflect through the window. In which case you can take a day off. In all seriousness though when I talk to most people about sun protection the two biggest reasons why they don’t commit is they don’t like how it feels (somehow they’ve missed the memo that not all sunscreens are greasy) or they just forget, which is why I recommend putting them all over the house, like I do. As for the texture, one of my absolute favorite things about NEUTROGENA is the variety of products and finishes they offer to help you find your perfect SPF. Long live NEUTROGENA Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock, which soaks up oil and is waterproof — this is what you recommend for the person who fears a greasy sunscreen. Then there is a whole line of Stick sunscreens, which are the only products I can get my boyfriend to use. And Sprays which I use when I’m running out the door for a quick walk with Charlie and am too lazy to put on a cream. I’m also pretty obsessed with the whole COOLDRY Sport collection (which includes a stick and spray in the line!) since I’m always out running around with Charlie and an outdoor runner. It’s lightweight and sweatproof.
I’m all about the Neutrogena CoolDry Sport Sunscreen Spray
They also have loads of other options as well as products for babies and kids, to keep the whole family covered. Minus puts which I would be elated if they developed a line for!
Some staggering statistics our friends at NEUTROGENA informed me:
On average, more than 350 Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer every hour - even though skin cancer is one of the most preventable cancers
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD), consumers often do not get the UV protection stated on the sunscreen label because they grossly under-apply, using less than half the recommended amount
Just 1-2 severe sunburns can increase the risk of melanoma by 40%
Only 40% of US households purchase sunscreen (only 37% women and 16% men use sunscreen regularly)
Someone who’s an authority on skin health is Jaimie King. I remember my ultimate fan girl moment in seeing her in the music video, ‘Take a Picture‘ by Filter where she just glows the whole time. Major skin envy, and two decades later, she’s had a thriving career, kids and somehow hasn’t aged at all! During the Long Live Skin event, Jaime was on hand to talk sun protection and take pictures with guests. Here’s her SPF 411:
Why is sun safety important to you?
Sun safety was always engrained in me. My mother was ahead of the game in sun protection and making us wear sunscreen at a time when there really wasn’t the awareness there is today. If we were in the sun, we were always protected. Skin cancer runs in my family, my father has it, so for me it’s something that is very important to me especially since it’s the most preventable form of cancer. Also, sunscreen also prevents fine lines, wrinkles and brown spots and keeps your skin looking great.
How do you fit sunscreen into your beauty routine?
People always ask me what my top beauty tips are and I always say sunscreen and water, so it’s easy to fit sunscreen into my beauty routine. Also, all of my makeup has sunscreen in it, but I always do double duty! You need to apply a sunscreen first and then apply your makeup with SPF.
Do you wear sunscreen every day?
I apply sunscreen every day. People think if it’s cloudy out you don’t have to apply sunscreen, but that is just not true and when the biggest mistakes happen. I also apply it to my kids every day. The minute they get up before they put their clothes on, we put on sunscreen. It’s a routine, just like brushing their teeth. I also think it’s important to lead by example. Not only do they see me applying it on them, but they see me applying it to myself.
Which NEUTROGENA®products would you recommend for a mom
NEUTROGENA® Ultra Sheer® Dry-Touch Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 100+ is perfect! When you’re a mom, you are running around with your head cut off half the time. The product is so easy and weightless, so you won’t look crazy with white streaks running down your face and you’ll stay protected. It’s one less thing to worry about.
Earlier this week, I hit up the #BRINGONTHEBOLD launch party for Elizabeth Arden’s new Liquid Assets Color collection consisting of the new Beautiful Color Bold Liquid Lipsticks ($22) in 9 shades, Beautiful Bold Defining 24HR Liquid Eye Liners ($24.50) in 5 shades and Beautiful Color Bold Illuminating Liquid Highlighter ($25) in one shade, Golden Kiss. The collection will launch in July and below are swatches and product details!
Beautiful Color Bold Illuminating Liquid Highlighter
Available in one shade, Golden Kiss gives a translucent golden shimmer that goes on smooth and with flexibility. The lightweight soft gel formula is easy to apply anywhere from cheeks to eyelid or under the brow for a pretty highlight that isn’t heavy or anything dramatic. Just a very pretty, natural shimmer and color enhancer. It features mineral pearls of mica and titanium dioxide that help reflect light and diffuse sparkle to create a multidimensional effect.
Beautiful Color Bold Liquid Lipstick
Now that every brand has launched mattes and summer is here I’ve seen a definite trend towards liquid lipsticks being the next hot ticket — which I’m all for! Available in 9 shades, 8 of which I swatched above at thee event. They go on wet and then dry to a more neutral, smooth gloss finish that’s very comfortable and stays in place.
I took home shade, Pink Lover, which some of you may have seen me test on snapchat (@prettyconnected). I have dark lips and Pink Lover gave a very natural everyday dusted pink hue. I’ve been rocking it all week and put the above on instagram as part of Charlie and my look for tonights Pride party.
The packaging looks like a vaporizer (ignore the more standard gloss tubes two pictures up, those were just for testing. The final packaging is what you see above, with the clicker visible in the center that deposits the color to the sponge.
