A Gift Guide I Can Vouch For

Have you noticed the extraordinary amount of pressure to shop recently? My inbox (both Messy Wands and personal) has been inundated by brands advertising holiday gifts and paraphernalia, all persistently nudging me to get them before it's "too late." Never mind the fact that it's still one whole month before Christmas! I always find the end of the year rushing toward me too quickly, maybe this is why.

That said, we are days away from Thanksgiving and the anxiety-inducing Black Friday – Racked has listed 150+ sales and counting on this handy page. Clearly, other publications/blogs will be much better resources for you in terms of scoring deals, so I will not attempt to replicate that. Instead, I created this little gift guide of products I've personally used and loved and would recommend to everyone I know. May it be a guide to you when thinking of gifts for the women in your life.

1. Tatcha Deep Hydration Lifting Mask, $28 each / $95 for a box of 4
What sort of praises have I not sung about this mask? If I had to choose one Tatcha product to gift, this spa-in-a-packet would be it. My general philosophy about gift giving is to buy things that others usually won't buy for themselves, and the mask's hefty price point is unfortunately a deterrent to most. However, if anything is well worth the splurge, this is.

Tatcha Friends & Family Sale: 20% off everything at tatcha.com with code FF2014, valid from 11/28-12/8.

2. Rituals Zensation Foaming Shower Gel Sensation, $15
My favorite part of showering is the suds. I remember spending ages in the bathroom as a child, with the door locked, mischievously soaping up every surface and sliding across them with glee. Needless to say, my mother was not amused. Rituals is a new-to-the-US Dutch brand that offers home and body cosmetics with beautiful packaging at a surprisingly low price point. This shower gel transforms into a rich foam when it comes into contact with water. I like it for the clean scent and ease of use, and for allowing me to indulge in my favorite childhood pastime as an adult.

Rituals Black Friday Sale: 50% off select products at rituals.com, valid from 11/28-12/1.

3. Shu Uemura Art of Hair Cleansing Oil Shampoo, $57
I've been clamoring to repurchase this ever since I pumped out the last drop. This shampoo is particularly effective in removing product from hair, and the claim that it doesn't "strip the natural oils" of your scalp is true, since I occasionally skipped conditioning without ill effects. I was devastated to find that the brand no longer offered discounts during Black Friday. Instead, they bundled up complementary products into gift sets. I'm sorely tempted by the Cleansing Oil Gift Set (with shampoo and conditioner and a travel-sized Essence Absolue), but cannot justify it since I've cut down my hair washing to twice a week and still have multiple shampoo/conditioners to go through.

4. Alterna Bamboo Smooth Moisture Masque, $26
I'm always pleasantly surprised when hair treatments (shampoo and conditioner excluded) actually work. Many volumizing/smoothing/repairing treatments I've tried didn't make a difference, but I am happy to report that this Alterna mask bucks the norm. After suffering from severe tangling all week, I applied this mask during my last shower and emerged with hair that was so soft, my hair brush practically slipped through it.

5. L'Occitane 13 Desserts of Provence, $69
Here's an advent calendar that will make the ultimate stocking stuffer (or make it easy for you to stuff those stockings). The 13 products in this gift set reads like a L'Occitane "best hits" list. If nothing, it'll make your next trip very easy to pack for.

L'Occitane Black Friday deal: Receive a free gift of three 10ml hand creams with any purchase at usa.loccitane.com on 11/28.

6. RMS Beauty Glowing Gift Set, $120
I have long held that RMS Beauty is superior to other natural brands when it comes to makeup. While most brands flounder by delivering products with subpar pigmentation, RMS Beauty shocks by serving up bright, nuanced shades. I swatched the whole collection a couple of years ago, but since then they've added a couple of products to their lineup. If you want to try the brand, I think this gift set is an excellent introduction. It features four of their bestsellers: Living Luminizer (one of the best highlighters I own), Un-Cover Up (I am shade #22), Lip2Cheek (Promise and Modest are my favorites) and Cream Eye Shadow. Bonus: you get to customize your own set with the shades you want.

7. Jo Malone Red Roses Scent Surround Diffuser, $85
It's a treat to return home to the scent of Jo Malone Red Roses ("a voluptuous blend of seven of the world's most exquisite roses"). This diffuser is strong enough to perfume my bedroom and then some, for I smell it even from the corridor of my apartment. It's been three months since I placed the reeds in and the bottle is still half full. This six-month investment is one that I'm very willing to make.

8. Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Universalis, $175
When my mother asked me to get her a "nice, light fragrance," I sent her a bottle of Aqua Universalis. I will not assault your imagination with my poor description of scent (objectively, the notes include bergamot and Sicilian lemon, lily of the valley and sweet mock orange, as well as musky wood) but as proof of endorsement, I've been wearing this nonstop for the past six months.

9. Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray, $42
I wish I could spray this on my hair everyday. Without fail, it gives my hair ridiculous volume and life and bounce. And the heavenly smell! It's no wonder that the brains behind Oribe decided to bottle their signature scent into perfume form.

Spring Butterfly Makeup

L-R: Addiction Twig, Suqqu Mizuaoi

Not even gonna lie, the "butterfly" part was coined by the editors of Harper's Bazaar to describe the below, taken at Roberto Cavalli's Fall 2012 runway show. To my dismay, I don't have purple or green eyeshadow that vibrant, but as usual I took matters in my own hands and cobbled up a look with what I had. I only noticed after editing that the result is similar to the Rouge Bunny Rouge look I did a couple months ago, with slight adjustments to placement.

I wish I used a brighter green. Can we just imagine that the dark green I used on my lids was brighter and popped (I hate using that word, but in this context it's really apt) more? Would have made this more interesting.

Anyway, let's get down to the nitty-gritty. I covered my eyelids and my bottom lash line with the green eyeshadow. For the blueish lilac shade, I stuck my brush by the side of my nose bridge and blended the shade into the lid, stopping just before it touches the eyebrows. The definition achieved by the model above is envy-inducing—alas, I have no such nose.

For the outer half, I used the purple brown shade from the Suqqu Mizuaoi quad (sadly discontinued) and blended it into the two colors. I lined both top and bottom lash line with a black liner, then applied mascara. For the finishing touch, I dipped a liner brush into the white and highlighted the inner corners of my eyes.

While the makeup on the rest of the model's face was kept bland, I added just a hint of pink on my cheeks (the trick is a really fluffy powder brush, a light pink blush, and an even lighter hand), then highlighted on top of my cheekbones and down the center of my nose. I also went for lipstick that didn't wash me out.

Oh! I tested a new trick to applying foundation. I sprayed a mist between every layer. Basically, mist –> foundation –> mist –> powder -> mist. The aim was to create dewy-looking skin.

The Look






Products Used:
Rouge Bunny Rouge Time Defying Foundation in Wheat Cream
Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Light
Tatcha Dewy Skin Mist
Guerlain Perles du Paradis Meteorites
Benefit Dandelion Blush
RMS Living Luminizer
Suqqu Balancing Eyebrow Palette in Moss Green
Suqqu Mizuaoi
Addiction Twig Eyeshadow
Pop Beauty Peak Performance Mascara in Blackest Black
Cle de Peau Enriched Lip Luminizer in #201

An Evening Face Tutorial

I recently received an invitation to an evening event and was pondering the makeup I would do for it. Warning: I might be abusing my recent fondness for brown neutrals with a second brown-based eye tutorial this week. Granted, it's not the most flattering shade on me, but irrational fancy needs no excuse, I suppose (for those who live through life wondering why some girls look absolutely amazing in "universal" shades of brown and wheat golds when they make our eyes look like muddy swamps, this fantastic post from Ars Aromatica is worth a read).

Eyes

I started with Le Métier de Beauté Tamarack as my eyeshadow base, then placed Burberry Midnight Brown all over the eyelid, blending toward the brow bone. I used Taupe Brown to deepen the outer corner and Porcelain to highlight below the brow and around the inner corner. 

I applied NARS Rue Bonaparte on my waterline to minimize redness and used Burberry Pale Barley to smoke out the bottom lash line. I lined my eyes with Giorgio Armani Smooth Silk Eye Pencil 1, and as usual, a couple coats of Guerlain Noir G Mascara to finish.

Cheeks

Speaking of abuse, are you sick of hearing about Chanel Notorious yet? Because I'm totally still using it everyday. Pictured above is Notorious under the cheekbone, Benefit Dandelion on the apples, and RMS Living Luminizer to highlight.

Lips

Ellis Faas L207 on the lips for a rich, creamy peach.

Nails

On my fingertips, a deep navy creme a la JINsoon Rhapsody. Texturally, Rhapsody was slightly thicker than Auspicious (which was thinner than the standard, which means Rhapsody resembles "regular" polish). I only needed two coats to reach full opacity.

The Complete Look

Products Used:
Face -
RMS Beauty "Un" Cover Up #22
RMS Beauty Living Luminizer
Benefit Dandelion Blush
Chanel Notorious Sculpting Veil for Eyes and Cheeks

Eyes -
Shu Uemura Seal Brown Retractable Eye Brow Pencil (not available in US)
Le Métier de Beauté Dualistic Eye Pencil in Tamarack
Burberry Eyeshadows in Porcelain, Pale Barley, Midnight Brown, and Taupe Brown
NARS Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Rue Bonaparte
Giorgio Armani Waterproof Smooth Silk Eye Pencil #1
Guerlain Noir G Mascara

Lips -
Ellis Faas L207

Nails -
JINsoon Nail Lacquer in Rhapsody


And because friends tell friends when there are savings to be had:
Giorgio Armani Cosmetics – 15 percent off with code EXCLUSIVE at checkout.

RMS Beauty Swatches

I know the pain of blind online purchases and the inevitable regret when the color doesn't match the product images online, so here are swatches of the complete RMS Beauty color collection.

L-R: Lip Shine in Sublime, Bloom, Moment

The Lip Shines are shiny lip balms. Sublime is a light hot pink, Bloom is a peach pink, while Moment is a honey brown shade.

L-R: "Un" Cover-Up #11, #22, #33, #44

The "Un" Cover-Ups are what we usually call concealers. #11 is ivory yellow, #22 peach yellow, #33 ochre yellow, while #44 is bronze yellow. (I'm definitely straining my color vocabulary here.)

L-R: Lip2Cheek in Muse, Promise, Modest, Smile, Illusive, Rapture 

The Lip2Cheeks are lip and cheek colors that can be sheered out or layered for intensity. Muse is a pale pink cream, Promise is.. orange/brown/red with slight gold shimmer? I don't know, but it's very pretty. Modest is coral, Smile is peach, Illusive is a brown-based red, and Rapture is a rich brick red. I actually tried on every single one of the Lip2Cheek and was surprised to find only Promise and Illusive worked on me. Muse was concealer lips (in a bad way), while Modest and Smile were too warm for me.

L-R: Cream Eye Shadow in Lunar, Solar, Seduce, Magnetic, Spark, Myth, Karma

I trust the Cream Eye Shadows need no external description. Lunar is actually a shimmery ivory nude (I layered the swatch heavily to show the color), Solar is a complex antique gold, Seduce is a khaki-leaning brown, Magnetic is a taupe. Spark and Myth looked really similar in the pot – I feel like Spark is a neutral brown with slight gold shimmer, while Myth is a brown cream that leans red. Karma is a dark brown-black.

I didn't swatch the Living Luminizer because I've already shown it in this post, which you can also head over to see "Un" Cover-Up #22 and Rapture in action.

RMS Beauty is available nationwide at rmsbeauty.com. If you live in (or are visiting) New York City, you can view and try out the entire collection at Bloom Beauty Lounge, located at 140 West 19th St.

PS: Just received word from @rmsbeauty that Spark and Myth have been discontinued.

Introduction to RMS Beauty: Lip2Cheek in Rapture, "Un" Cover-Up #22, and Living Luminizer

It took me a year of hearing about RMS Beauty before I finally found a physical store I could go to try it out, and what an introduction it was. Just as I planned to visit (the store in question is Bloom Beauty Lounge), I found out the store was hosting a free makeup lesson with Rose-Marie Swift, the founder of RMS Beauty. 

Rose-Marie Swift is unlike any makeup artist/brand owner I've ever met. It was refreshing that she didn't really have a filter to her thoughts, so we basically had two hours of uncensored insight from an industry insider. She spoke about how she fell sick years ago and couldn't find any suitable beauty products in the market that she could use, which was when she started researching on chemicals in beauty products. Appalled by what passes for "organic" and "natural" in the market (remember, FDA doesn't regulate cosmetics!) and spurred by the conspicuous lack of a truly organic line, she started her own, RMS Beauty.

Now, while I appreciate a completely organic line, I'm not one to be swayed just because of it. I purchased three of her most popular products to test drive the brand. Once I started using them, it took all my restraint to not immediately go back for more.

I love that she includes full ingredient lists on the actual pot

First time users need to bear in mind that the primary ingredient in RMS Beauty products is coconut oil and the texture reflects that. The "Un" Cover-Up ($36) and Lip2Cheek ($36) both have a thick consistency and feels very creamy to the touch, but once applied they blend into the skin and you'll hardly notice it's there (no matter how many layers you pile on). On the other hand, the Living Luminizer ($38) is lightweight and while creamy, is definitely less so compared to the other two.

How do we apply them? Rose-Marie is a huge advocate of working with fingers. But before you go ew, dirty pot she assures us that her products are antimicrobial because of the lauric acid in coconut oil, as well as the lack of water in her stuff. Because of that, her products will not go bad, even though I noticed she did put a 12-month expiry sign on the box.

Lip2Cheek in Rapture, blended out and heavy swatch

L-R: Living Luminizer, "Un" Cover-Up #22

In the pictures below, I used only the RMS Beauty products featured above (my eyebrows being the exception). The rich brick red that is Rapture inspired the cheekiness in me to do a china doll look, complete with garb. I applied three thin layers onto my lips with my fingers to build up intense color, but practiced caution when applying it to my cheeks. 

I used "Un" Cover-Up #22 as my concealer, applying it under my eyes, around my nose, around my mouth, and just a little on my cheeks to even out the tone. The Living Luminizer is what I've come to think of as a true highlighter. You can hardly see it in the swatch or even when applied, but in pictures it makes you glow. I placed it in the inner corners of my eyes, in the center of my eyelid, down the center of my nose, on top of my cheekbones, and on my cupid's bow.

The only downside to RMS Beauty products is it's not a substitute for say, a blush that lasts for twelve hours. Rose-Marie herself said she didn't want products that will stay on all day because it scares her. It all boils down to personal chemistry. Some of her customers said they never have to reapply, while others enjoyed shorter lasting power. My experience is Rapture lasts about 5-6 hours on the cheeks and 4-5 hours on the lips if I don't eat or drink. The "Un" Cover-Up and Living Luminizer stays on a little longer, but if I touch my face it will rub off.

RMS Beauty is available online at Spirit Beauty Lounge. I purchased mine from Bloom Beauty Lounge in New York City. Rose-Marie mentioned they will be introducing lipsticks in bullet form and an eyeliner to the product range soon, and she is working on a mascara with minimal amount of chemicals (just because it's impossible to make a good one without some). Sadly, she also said they will be discontinuing Rapture, which is why I snapped mine up.