Me voilà cher readers – I haven’t posted for a while because I’ve been in transit (considering the time of my last post, one might think I had come to Europe by slow boat), but I am back in the city of beauty and light and eager as ever to bring you looks, reviews, and ideas.

In the meantime, while flipping through my favorite guilty pleasure metro magazine, Grazia, I happened upon this little gem:

Le Bain de Wharton

This lovely bottle that looks like it came straight from the shelves of an ancient apothecary, these bath salts were inspired by the wonderfully luxurious world of Edith Wharton and her biting take on late XIXè century high society in New York. Made with salts from the Guérande marshes on the western coast of France and floral honey, this seems like an extravagant way to unwind after a long flight, or a long day. I can imagine myself inhaling the divine aroma in my bath whilst reading “The Custom of the Country”…..

Edith Wharton

The company, Jardins D’écrivains (the gardens of writers) has a number of products, each one inspired by the gardens of iconic writers in far flung locations – from Casanova in Venice to Kipling in Bombay. The range, manufactured artisanally in Paris, includes candles as well as bath products.

Le Bain de Wharton, 40 Euros: Jardins D’écrivains

My Multitasking Homegrown Hero – Smith’s Rosebud Salve

Have you ever tried this tiny miracle in a tin? If not, you’re missing out. I first discovered rosebud salve from the immaculately groomed-yet-natural looking preppy princesses who I grew up with. These girls obviously put a lot of effort into their looks all whilst looking completely effortless, and always toted around a tin of rosebud salve in their Longchamp schoolbags. Now, I’m clearly more off-kilter glamourpuss than East Coast Wasp , but I do love products that keep me looking effortlessly fresh and pretty.

Smith’s Rosebud Salve

Smith’s Rosebud Salve is one of those cult products that is found in the makeup bags of not only beauty editors, but regular girls across America. I used to get tins of it sent to me in Paris when it was unavailable to buy there, such is my fidelity to this simple and wonderful balm.

Smith’s Rosebud Salve

But what is it? A 100 year old family recipe, housed in this charmingly retro tin, is a balm that looks lovely on lips, but also nourishes cuticles, relieves chapped skin and minor burns, and even diaper burn. I’ve seen this used slicked on eyebrows to keep them shiny and in place, to add a bit of glossy glow to cheeks and eyes for photo shoots, and to tame stray hairs in a strict chignon. This is legitimately a $6 tin of MIRACLE.  It now comes in a variety of flavors (including mocha rose and menthol), but the original, with a faint fragrance of rose and no flavor, is a classic for a reason.

Smith’s Rosebud Salve

The reason I love the rosebud salve desperately  is that it feels wonderful on lips. Light and slick, it leaves lips looking shiny (without a sticky gloss effect) in the most natural way possible, with only the slightest hint of healthy pink. It looks fantastic when used to soften lip color but I often skip even that step and use the rosebud salve to balance out a smokey eye, as well as pairing it with a natural makeup look. It’s tiny size means it is eminently portable, and though dipping into a tin with a finger isn’t the most hygienic, it is now available in germaphobic (and hands free) tubes as well.

I rarely tell readers that they absolutely need a product in their kit, but I’m doing so now – SNAP THIS UP!

Rosebud salve is available widely, though prices range from $6 to $8 in the US.  Buy it for the lesser price at sephora.com

In France, rosebud salve is available at American Apparel for about 9 euros, and at Urban Outfitters in the UK.

Les Folies Sont Les Seules Choses Qu’ont Ne Regrette Jamais (Oscar Wilde)

and what a folly this was. I am deeply inexperienced with nail transfers, despite loving their look, so these hastily applied stripes from British Company, Nail Rock, don’t look nearly as lovely as I would have hoped…. and peeled off within hours.

Nail Rock Striped Nail Wraps

Nail Rock Striped Nail Wraps

Nail Rock Striped Nail Wraps

As you can see, I couldn’t get this look quite right, but I’m eager to try again – who doesn’t love an insanely frivolous set of nails?!

 

Rose FreshFace Primer from Fresh Beauty

That’s a lot of fresh in one blog title, don’t you think?

A brand I’ve been eager to try in recent months is Fresh, an LVMH owned luxury cosmetics company with a clean aesthetic and products containing a lot of natural goodness, from Japanese sake to real brown sugar. Besides, the name just sounds enticing doesn’t it – who doesn’t want to be so fresh and so clean clean?

I picked up a travel size duo ($10 at Sephora) of Fresh‘s Rose FreshFace Primer and Twilight highlighting lotion a few months ago, and was so pleased with the primer that I picked up the full-sized product, at a not inconsiderable sum of $36USD.

I’ll just state this briefly: I don’t really need this product – but I REALLY like this product. It’s frivolous (at least, for me) but is lovely and looks lovely and therefore makes me feel lovely, which is the entire reason I spend all of my money on cosmetics in the first place, really.

According to Fresh, the Rose FreshFace Primer is a silicone free primer that

” instantly creates a flawless complexion that’s ready for makeup application. It is enriched with soothing rose-water and cucumber extract and antioxidant-rich green tea and vitamins A, C, E. Porphyridium cruentum, a smart micro-algae that hydrated the skin where it needs it the most, also helps to maintain optimum moisture levels throughout the day. “

 

I do really like this primer for a number of reasons – being silicone and paraben free, I feel like I’m putting a protective film on my face before slathering it in chemical filled foundations and concealers. Additionally, silicone primers, like Smashbox‘s famous one, tend to leave my face slick and cause foundation to ‘pill’ (like that cashmere sweater your boyfriend accidentally put in the washing machine that one time), and don’t do much at all for makeup longevity on my face. Now, to be totally honest with you, I’m not quite sure that the Rose FreshFace Primer does much for makeup longevity earlier – but being as enamored as I am with it, I’m willing to forgive this product a number of sins.

The primer comes in a 1oz (30ml) tube and has a fresh, whipped cream texture that smells subtly and divinely of tea roses. Due to the design of the tube, it takes some time working out how to dose this correctly, but I’ve found a pea size amount works well to cover my face completely. This doesn’t give any immediate, jarring effects of a perfect face, but does hydrate and seem to fill in pores subtly. What it does, however, is makes foundation apply smoothly, allowing me to use less of whatever I’m using to color in my face that day.

I genuinely don’t know if this product makes my foundation last longer, but I do know that it smells lovely and feels lovely on my face – I’m fairly certain that I could use this, alone, on bare-faced days this summer just to give my skin a bit of pep and rosy glow.

Is it worth $36 for 1oz of product? More than likely not – especially as due to my trouble dosing when I bought this, I wasted quite a bit of it.  I do genuinely like it, despite that (being a sucker for anything vintage, and anything smelling of that most noble of blooms), and would likely purchase again.

Rose FreshFace Primer, available at Sephora US.

Diptyque’s New Eau Rose

When I saw that Diptyque was launching a rose fragrance, of course I literally squealed a little bit with joy – if you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that I adore Diptyque’s personal and home fragrances, and I am a rose scent addict in rose-colored glasses.

The Diptyque team was kind enough to send me a bottle of this lovely new fragrance, and it was entirely unexpected – from the packaging to the fragrance itself. Perfect for Valentine’s day, the box itself is decorated with pink geometric designs providing a background for the etched pink and black blooms. Inside, the bottle is very different from Diptyque’s traditional heavy, square bottles, instead favoring something taller and a bit sleeker. As always, the label on the bottle looks hand drawn and personal, with the signature Diptyque oval, printed with the flagship’s address, surrounding it. Interestingly, the label is transparent, as opposed to the opaque labels on the other Diptyque fragrances, which I feel is an astute reference to the sheerness of this perfume itself.

Diptyque Eau Rose

Diptyque Eau Rose

Diptyque Eau Rose

The notes are stated as follows;

TOP NOTES: Bergamot, blackcurrant, lychee

MIDDLE NOTES: Hedione, geranium, Turkish rose

BASE NOTES: Cedar, musk, honey

The scent itself is like a love letter to the charm of the most noble of flowers, alternating between powdery, sensual, and sparkling clean. On first spray, I smelled a combination of fresh dew covered roses along with strong notes of citrus, like orange peel (the Bergamot). I get no hints of the sweeter notes like the blackcurrant nor the lychee, but as always, I believe this is just how perfume comes across on my skin. The citrus dries down quickly to a powdery pleasant rose, almost like a Rose de Mai (I was reminded of a fresher version of Fragonard’s Rose de Mai) tempered by the greenness of geranium. I do get slight hints of honey, or perhaps even a floral honeysuckle, on the dry down, but mostly this is a very fresh, pleasant rose.

Diptyque Eau Rose

The sillage is not overpowering, as some of Diptyque’s fragrances can be, though the staying power is not as strong either. I can still smell this on my skin hours after application, but it is a fragrance that will be smelled when one leans in to you, not to be smelled by the entire metro car you’re riding on. I do appreciate its discretion, and those who have smelled it on me describe it as enticing and very much true to my signature fragrances. While all of their fragrances are ‘sexless’, to be used by both women and men, this fragrance strikes me as very feminine indeed, and might displease some men who like wearing very strong, bold roses. As always with Diptyque, this perfume smells fresh and natural, with no synthetic sweetness – I might describe it as a more authentic, sophisticated alternative to Paul Smith Rose.

Eau Rose's unique bottle, on left. Traditional Diptyque bottle (L'ombre dans L'eau) on right

This perfume is not as complex as Diptyque’s other rose fragrance, L’ombre dans L’eau, nor does it have any of its sharp greenness. I would describe this perfume as pleasant and pretty, as opposed to deep and beautiful. This has been my go-to perfume for daytime wear over the past week, and I do think it’s appropriate for a number of situations. This is very much a spring perfume, so it’s US launch is perfectly timed. Not only that, but this a fragrance that leans to the sweetly romantic, so along with its feminine packaging, it might make an excellent Valentine’s day treat for those who love rose. I do appreciate the company’s straying from their usual perfumes to make something so utterly wearable and feminine, and am elated to wear this very pretty ode to the rose.

The Eau Rose is available from Diptyque Paris in their boutiques as well as on their website;

www.diptyqueparis.fr

I’ll leave you with medieval French poet Pierre de Ronsard’s own ode to the rose, and love, quoted by Diptyque themselves on their website;

From my summer visit to the Chateau de Chenonceau, the Pierre de Ronsard Rose !

Sweetheart, let’s see if the rose
That this morning had open
Her crimson dress to the Sun,
This evening hasn’t lost
The folds of her crimson dress,
And her complexion similar to yours.

Ah! See how in such short space
My sweetheart, she has on this very spot
All her beauties lost!
O, so un-motherly Nature,
Since such a beautiful flower
Only last from dawn to dusk!

So if you believe me, my sweetheart,
While time still flowers for you,
In its freshest novelty,
Do take advantage of your youthful bloom:
As it did to this flower, the doom
Of age will blight your beauty.

* Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for review purposes.

Paperself Lashes

You may have seen Paperself lashes stocked in your local Sephora, but did you know that the company makes everything from lighting installations to furniture? The company was founded in London by an ingenious designer named Chunwei Liao, who seeks to create objects that combine the functional with the aesthetic, all with a green, eco-conscious bent. Before they made their big 2011 launch of their lashes at Sephora, they had been picked up by UK online mall, ASOS.com. I had ordered a pair of these lashes nearly 2 years ago, when they were still incredibly expensive and experimental, a little known brand who’s concept I enjoyed greatly.

Now, it seems, they’ve hit the big time, but the concept of their lashes has stayed the same – false lashes made of recycled paper, laser cut into delicate designs bearing Chinese symbolism. Recently selling for $19 USD a pair at Sephora US, I was pretty psyched to find them on sale for $9 each. I picked up two pairs – the Peacock lashes, for “auspicious and lucky days”, and the “under the Sea – Secret Treasures” lashes, a collaboration with female DJ collective, The Broken Hearts.

The photos really speak for themselves (and I haven’t had a chance to wear them yet). The lash strips are long and delicate, and do require a great deal of care removing them from the package, which is itself made of beautifully delicate origami paper, embossed in silver or gold. I love the concept so much that I might have bought these even if they were $59 a pair, not $9…. but while they’re on sale, you might as well jump at the chance.

Currently at Sephora.com

Paperself

Jo Malone Verbenas of Provence

Did you know that Kate Middleton is a huge fan of Jo Malone fragrances? Not only that, but at the royal wedding, the aisles of Westminster Abbey were lined with Jo Malone candles, to create an olfactive memory for the guests at this most monumental event.

With that in mind, I was recently looking for a bottle of Annick Goutal‘s Eau D’Hadrien – they had none left, so when the sales assistant pointed me towards Jo Malone‘s Verbenas of Provence fragrance, a reasonable facsimile, I was intrigued. I had once worn Red Roses by the same company and did like their clean aesthetic and simple, fresh fragrances… so I decided to take the plunge (the tidbits about the Duchess of Cambridge certainly didn’t hurt).

The fragrance comes in a thick, rectangular glass bottle with a silver stopper, and includes an atomizer. There is nothing overdone about the packaging, in pale yellow with black trim and text, and the whole effect is very elegant indeed. At $110 USD for 3.4oz, it certainly isn’t the most inexpensive perfume, but it is very much a luxury product.

The fragrance itself is lovely – more than the Verbenas advertised in the title, I get very fresh citrus notes more than anything else. This is not a complex perfume – the Jo Malone perfumes are designed to be layered with each other – but simple, clean and bright. From the Jo Malone website;  ”Inspired by the citrus scented ambience of a dining club in Hong Kong, Verbenas of Provence is a fresh, clean fragrance. Blended from the leaves of vervaine citronelle and undercut with hints of flowers and spice, it is summer in a bottle.”

This fragrance is overwhelmingly fresh and clean, but not ‘green’, rather a very chypre fragrance that borders, occasionally, on cleaning product  but is tempered by sweet notes and spices to keep it from being too antiseptic.  The citrus notes dry down to something slightly woodier, so the overall effect is quite natural, and, in my opinion, devastatingly chic. The rose notes, unfortunately, do not come through on my skin, though I do think that they might ruin for me what is a lovely, clean, and uncomplicated fragrance. This fragrance was actually purchased for my mother, who is a big fan of clean, citrus-y scents, and she is delighted with it.

This fragrance would be lovely and refreshing on a very hot summer day – it almost reminds me of the therapeutic personal fragrances created for kings and queens of another time, meant not to perfume the body but rather to refresh and soothe. The sales associate was kind enough to provide samples of other Jo Malone fragrances, and I find that the Verbenas of Provence pairs especially well with the French Lime Blossom and Grapefruit colognes – though the Verbenas of Provence is worthy and wonderful on its own.

Jo Malone fragrances are available at a number of specialty and department stores (including Le Bon Marché in Paris, and Neiman Marcus in the USA), but you can purchase directly through the company’s website:

Jo Malone London

Caudalie Vinoperfect Enzymatic Peel Mask

The other day, I posted a review for Caudalie’s Cell Renewal Night Cream. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I recommend reading it before reading this review, as they are sister products from the same line.

The Enzymatic Peel Mask is a compliment to the entire vinoperfect range. I imagined it was like a more concentrated version of the night cream, but in fact the ingredients are quite different, and based my experience, apparently more potent.

Like the night cream, this product comes in a small (50ml /1.7fl. oz) tube, in clean white with silver print. I was surprised by the small size of the product, but do appreciate its portability – though I don’t often bring masks when I travel, its small size means it could easily be brought in carry on luggage if you’re flying – for me, an absolute plus.

 

The press release says that this product will create a new skin effect in 10 minutes – “This exfoliating mask tightens pores, reduces sebum, clarifies and renews skin texture. In 10 minutes, reveal a brand new glowing complexion. An innovative combination of peeling and ultra-soothing active ingredients, this creamy mask offers an immediate radiance boost and a unique new-skin effect for all skin types. The skin texture is refined and pores are tightened. The complexion appears fresh, even and luminous.”

The product contains Viniferine, a chemical extracted from vine sap, that is purported to be 62 times more effective than vitamin C, but a look at the ingredient list proves slightly worrying – unlike the night cream which contains mostly wonderful things, this mask contains such delights as benzyl alcohol, which can be incredibly drying for many skin types. The product does contain glycolic acid, which is used in chemical peels by plastic surgeons to resurface skin, so does contain many good, active ingredients.

The cream itself is thick and white – it’s a really pleasant texture, and when applied to the face, feels more like a thick cream than a traditional mask. I applied this, as directed, twice a week, always at night and before the application of the night cream. The instructions direct to leave the mask on for 10 minutes, but I often ended up washing it off before, as the ingredients in this mask are REALLY strong – despite avoiding the eye area, my eyes were tearing and my skin felt odd and tingling. For some, this may be an advantage – this proves that the mask is working, after all – but for me, my sensitive eyes simply couldn’t handle being in such close contact with such a potent product.

Despite my sensitivity, this mask really DID work – my skin looked immediately brighter and smoother, and had a real visible softness to it. I don’t know that my pores were incredibly tightened, or that it lightens dark spots any more than the night cream, but my skin certainly did look fresh and dewy, like I had just gone for a run, almost like an ‘in love’ sort of flush. It does take quite a bit of product to cover the face – I needed two nickel sized dollops of products, but I still seem to have quite a bit of product left, despite that and its small size. I will continue to use it on occasion, as I have felt a different using the mask in tandem with the night cream.

Though this product is supposedly suitable for all skin types, I would recommend that those with sensitive skin and eyes avoid, as I did have a real problem with my eyes watering. The Caudalie website says that the grape acid can cause sensitivity and those who experience discomfort should stop using the product immediately, so I’m certainly not alone in this. If I had not experienced sensitivity, I would absolutely repurchase this product.

The product is sold both at Caudalie and Sephora USA for $40, which I find is a reasonable price for an effective mask, despite the small size.

You can find the product here;

www.caudalie-usa.com

XX La Coquette

P.S. If you’re in the New York area, Caudalie has recently opened a Vinotherapie  spa at the Plaza Hotel on Central Park East. The mask is used in the Vinoperfect treatment, available for $185 USD.

 

*PR sample

Butter London’s Pretty ‘Black Wallpaper’ Nail Stickers…

and they were just that. Nail Stickers.

I actually had these pretty little things on my Christmas wish list, and when I didn’t find them under the christmas tree, I was elated to find them on sale at Nordstrom for 10 dollars. I bought both colors available – the black with a floral print, and the beige with text.

I’ve only tried the black ones, and considering my disappointing experience, I’m keeping the other ones either as keepsake trinkets, or for a very special occasion.

Butter London produces some of my favorite nail polishes on the market, so I was excited to see their whimsical take on the nail wrap trend. I really should have read the directions better, because the package specifically says that these are stickers (not wraps) that provide 48 hours of use – unlike some of the polish wraps I have used in the past, which bond to nails and provide up to 2 solid weeks of wear.

Nothing can be said about the packaging – wrapped up like a romantic love letter with a wax seal, these stickers are a delight to even possess. I applaud Butter London on their wonderful, feminine sense of whimsy – I honestly loved taking these out of the bag. The stickers themselves are gorgeous – shiny black with a floral print, reminiscent of Dutch master still lives in vibrant shades of rose, marigold yellow, and white stencilled. One nail sticker for each hand features a sketch of a bird wearing a crown. What once might have struck me as tacky (nail art?) is so delicately executed that I instantly fell in love.

The application process, however, made me fall out of love – unlike polish wraps, that bond to nails without being sticky, these slid off their sheet covered in a thick layer of gloopy, sticky glue. Getting them on to nails themselves was a bit tricky, and instead of being able to tear off the excess (as with many other brands nail wraps), I had to trim with a nail clipper, which resulted in an uneven finish. These also weren’t suitable for my short nails, since the design didn’t start by the base of the nail bed, meaning the heads of the birds, for example, were clipped off. The product basically reminded me of the stickers I collected as a kid.

The directions instructed to cover with a topcoat, which I did, but that didn’t prevent them from literally sliding off my nails after less than 24 hours. I was disappointed but forewarned, and while I would have loved these to have lasted longer (they really are gorgeous), I was happy that I had the chance to wear them at all.

For 10 dollars, these seem worth it for a special occasion. I still have my other set, and may have them applied by a manicurist or a friend if I do decide to wear them. Failing that, I’m happy to keep them in my makeup drawer since they really do make me smile.

The Butter London nail stickers are still available at Nordstrom (click link to be taken directly to the Butter London boutique @ nordstrom), in three colors, at $10 each.

Caudalie’s Vinoperfect Cell Renewal Night Cream

So after a (way too long) hiatus, La Coquette is back and bringing you beauty news and reviews!

I received a package of Caudalie‘s newest products just before the holidays, with their cell renewal night cream and mask, the latest products in the Vinoperfect range. These two products promise to resurface, brighten, and detoxify skin.

I’m a big fan of Caudalie’s products, being a devotee of the Beauty Elixir for years. I love the idea of wine grapes, which are so good for our heart, being used in skin care, and was delighted to find the two products nestled inside swathes of bright green tissue paper, reminding me of the vines in the Bordeaux area, the company’s hometown and lifeblood.

The first product I’ll be reviewing is the Cell Renewal Night Cream – I’m saving the mask for a later post. From Caudalie; “This peeling night cream helps your skin to renew itself. It delivers gradual and continuous exfoliation for a new-skin effect that ensures unique high tolerance. Dark spots and imperfections are visibly diminished, the skin texture is refined and pores are tightened.”

The product contains “an extract of vine shoots, Viniferine, patented by Caudalie and titrated in this product formula at 550ppm…. recognized as one of the most effective plant molecules, it is suitable for the most sensitive skin” (which, beauty addict that I am, still comes across as a very foreign language).  The product also contains, amongst other active ingredients, a gentle glycolic acid peel, provitamin B5, hyaluronic acid and grape seed oil, and is paraben free. In short, a healthy dose of everything that should, in theory, create incredible skin.

As always, packaging is important to me, and I very much enjoyed the clean look of silver on bright white, which gives the product a pleasing, slightly clinical look. The fact that the product is in a tube, as opposed to a jar, is a plus – it’s more sanitary, and makes dosing more easy.  The only drawback is that the silver text (as seen in the photo) on the tube rubbed off with only minimal time in travel bags, but the tube itself is sturdy and hasn’t damaged.

As for the cream itself, I have been using it nightly after washing my makeup off for the past month, skipping my usual night cream and exfoliators, since the product is meant to exfoliate skin as you sleep. The product itself is an opaque white cream, that applies smoothly without being  very sticky. My relatively sensitive skin didn’t feel any tingling or burning upon application, contrary to what I experienced when I tried the complementary mask.   The cream doesn’t feel as rich as some of my other night creams, so the feeling took a few days to get used to – the nature of the product also requires me to use an eye cream (since it is inadvisable to use it around the eyes).  I do like products that do everything for me at once, so this was a slight drawback, and I would have preferred something a bit richer and more hydrating. Upon application, my skin texture did look immediately smoother and my pores refined. The fragrance is lovely and herbal, like many of Caudalie’s products, and this didn’t give the slick and shiny look that so many night creams do, which is an advantage.

The first week of using this product, I broke out – and if you read my blog, you know that breakouts are very rare for me. I was horrified, but decided to stick it out and continue using the cream to see if I had any real results. The blemishes did clear up, and my skin seemed to adjust after about 2 weeks of use. After a month of use, I can honestly say that my skin DOES look more luminous – my freckles seem faded on my nose and cheeks, and my skin has a slight ‘lit from within’ glow. I don’t see my skin texture being refined in any noticeable way (my makeup doesn’t apply, for example, any more easily), but the glow alone is for me, a real result. This has the added benefit of having calmed much of the redness in my skin, which is unusual for a product that exfoliates – my cheeks appear less flushed and the broken capillaries around my nostrils are far less noticeable. I do think that this is due to the unique mix of ingredients – the shea butter, for example, counteracts the irritants of the glycolic acid, etc. The mask I received seems almost unnecessary, considering the effectiveness of the cream

Verdict? I’m very satisfied with this cream. It’s not perfect – as mentioned before, I would prefer something a bit richer and more hydrating – but I have seen real results after only a month of use. I think this product would be excellent for those in their 20s and 30s looking for a skin booster and to erase some of the discoloration caused by pregnancy, or sun damage. This product promises luminosity and brightness, and it certainly delivers.

The price point depends on the market and would absolutely affect my choosing to repurchase this product or not – while it goes for a relatively reasonable 35,80 Euros in France (for a 1 oz bottle), it sells for $68 USD in the United States – nearly double the price ! With that being said, I’ve paid much more for night creams that didn’t do anything other than hydrate, so if you are seeking a product that is natural but effective at brightening the skin, this may be worth it for you.

Find the Cell Renewal Night Cream at :

Sephora USA

or Caudalie France

 

*PR Sample