Looking for the Scent of Spring… Rancé Rose de Rose Perfume

Tags

Beautik Haute Parfumerie, perfume, Rancé, Rancé Rose de Rose, rose, Spring 2015, vanilla

I bet you’ve all heard about transitional makeup, transitional skincare… but never had the idea of thinking about a transitional perfume! I for sure, didn’t payed too much attention to the matter… until this year when we had the longest winter ever! Snow mid-April?! Seriously?!

So, I couldn’t wear my heavy winter perfumes because in my mind we should’ve had Spring weather! I couldn’t wear light floral perfumes either because, again, in my mind it was too cold for that… Until I’ve rediscovered this lovely scent by Rancé – Rose de Rose.

It is the perfect mixture of warm and floral notes, so I think it embodies the best of both worlds!

Rose de Rose is a Floral-Oriental perfume, elegant and convincing at the same time!

It opens with gorgeous Bulgarian, Grasse and Turkish rose notes – that if you ask me, I can still sense even after it dries down and lets the sensual wooden notes combined with the most delicious, soft and creamy vanilla, rule over your olfactory senses. But before getting to that, the scented picture is completed by the most precious and pure scents of a Spring garden: jasmin from Grasse, Malaca ylang-ylang, tuberose.

The waves of scents are subtle yet strong, powerful and enticing, and they come together in one perfect perfume to create sublime olfactory sensations, vibrant yet fragile and sensual energies, that will carry you away to an unforgettable warm place, where you’ll find yourself surrounded by flowers and spices.

The 100 ml matte glass bottle is the proof of absolute elegance, the main asset of royalty. Adorned with the perfect jewels that make a gorgeous crown star, this perfume is part of a series of three perfumes Jeanne Sandra Rancé named Rance 1795 Les Étoiles Collection. Precious as diamonds the collection was created for passionate and elegant women who prefer the aristocratic style.

See you soon, beautiful!

x, Annie

 

 

 

 

 

INTERESTING FACTS:

–  the Rancé family has a tradition of over 200 years and 10+ generations of perfumiers

– the founder, François Rancé dedicated two of his perfumes to Napoleon Bonaperte and to the love of his life, Josephine. It was the early 1800…

– later on, François‘ son, created a perfume dedicated to Napoleon’s only son, François Charles, King of Rome and named it after him

– the street in Grasse, France where the laboratories of the company functioned, was named Rue Rancé

– Jeanne Sandra Rancé is the name of the current perfumeur of the House of Rancé, heire of the Rancé empire

Diptyque Eau Rose Hand Lotion – The poem of a Rose

Tags

Beautik Haute Parfumerie, Diptyque, Eau Rose, hand cream, perfume, rose

Ah! The Rose… The Queen of all flowers!

A flower with as many facets as a diamond. But beside its beauty it also has multiple uses discovered during the centuries: as a tonic to revitalize your skin, as an essential oil for a good bath, or for you to take delight in drinking a cup of calming tea.

Diptyque chose the rose scent to wrap your hands up in a luxurious floral scent. The main notes are Rosa Centifolia and Damascus Rose mixed with bergamot, blackcurrant, musk, cedar and honey. The Eau Rose Émulsion Pour les Mains is a light weight hand lotion which penetrates your skin in just few seconds, hydrates it and protects it at the same time thanks to a blend of macadamia oil and calming aloe vera oil.

The scent is quite strong and sharp, the bergamot, blackcurrant, and cedar giving it an extra kick and making it different from your traditional rose scent.

The packaging is so poetic that needs to be decoded to be understood. An intricate black on white design with roses placed on a small and delicate white English yard, where only the flower itself focuses your eye with a subtle off-rose colour…

The actual product comes in a 50 g squeezing tube with the same beautiful floral design on the front.

It is an amazing product in its own unique way. But then… Diptyque always spoiled us with such distinctive, luxurious products!

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

PS.: Can you tell I have a rose anything addiction?!

FOTD – Smiling at the Spring Sun

Tags

By Terry, by terry hyaluronic-hydra powder, dior, Dior Trianon 2014 Spring Collection, fotd, high end, makeup, review, rose, Rosy Glow, spring

This time I wanted to do a different type of blog post… So I gathered all my courage and did a face of the day, centered on my favourite lipstick at the moment –  the Dior Trianon Spring 2014 Collection #744 Allégresse.

The photo was taken a few days ago, before I went to work. It was a cold, windy, gloomy day… I thought that if at least my makeup was a bit happier, the sun might see it and decided to show up… And it worked!!!!!…

I used NO foundation. Just a bit of that Bourgeois Healthy Mix Concealer, in #52 Medium Radiance for under my eyes and to cover the areas I have redness or discolouration on ( it is the lightest shade I think ). Then I dusted a bit of By Terry Hyaluronic-Hydra Powder ( review here ) on my t-zone.

On the cheeks I slightly applied a bit of the Dior Rosy Glow 001 Blush ( review here ), for a healthy flush of color.

On the eyes, I used as a base a Sephora brand eyeshadow in Strawberry Macaroon # 42. Then I added a bit of MAC‘s Wedge in the crease, darken it with a bit of Satin Taupe and blended everything really well. To finish up the look I put a bit of Diorshow Mono Wet & Dry Backstage Eyeshadow #826 Bikini in the center of the lid to brighten up the eye. Then I lined my mobile lid with a dark brown eyeliner from Clarins in #2 Brown, just at the base of the eyelashes to create definition to the eye and to make the lashes look fuller.

Final step for the eyes was mascara. I used Dior Diorshow 090 New Look Black and applied it generously.

Since it was a daytime look, I didn’t went for a bold brow. Just brushed and fixed them in place with a clear gel.

And now my favourite part: the lips. On the lips I used the Dior Trianon Spring 2014 Collection, #744 Allégresse – a beautiful bright pink lipstick, so soft and creamy ( see review here ). It made my lips look smooth and sensual. (  Yeah! I am bold like that, sometimes!… )

Here is the complete look! I hope you like it!

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

CHANEL VITALUMIÈRE AQUA

Tags

aqua, buildable, chanel, foundation, high end, makeup, review, rose, sheer, spring, vitalumière aqua

I sure was a Chanel fanatic! Still am!

Anything Chanel used to be like a little trap for me. Now things are worst… Next to the Chanel addiction, I developed other few brand obsessions: Burberry, Dior, Diptyque, Annik Goutal… I have used the words “fanatic’, “addiction” and “obsession” all in 4 lines… Is that bad?!…But that is another blog post! Now I want to tell you about my all time favourite face base.

I bought my first Chanel Vitalumière Aqua several years ago and repurchased it a few times already. And even if I’m always trying new foundations, I seem to go back to this one. It just is so easy to apply, easy to blend… A light feeling foundation that I find myself reaching for more and more.

Mine is in colour B30 and it matches my skin perfectly! It’s almost like a second skin!

It is light to medium in terms of coverage and the lasting power is not that of a heavy duty foundation. But, again, with a product that has kind of dewy, glowy finish to it you will never have hours of wear. A good thing is that the packaging is so small and compact, that you can put it in your purse and reapply, if you need to.

It has a fluid consistency and you have to shake it well before you put it on. I used to massage it into my skin with my fingers, but then I discovered that buffing it in with a flat kabuki-type brush helps with the dewy, awake effect I want on my skin.

If you have an oily skin, I am sorry, but I don’t think this will work for you.  You know, anything dewy on your skin will make it look greasier. Unless you use powder and blotting sheets. Also, I would not recommend it if you have acne issues. By itself, this base would never cover enough! You can make it work by using a good concealer!

I’m about to finish the 30 ml bottle I currently use, and I already have another one on stand by.

Right now, I am actually lusting over another base product – the Dior Nude BB Cream… What can I do?! I love me some healthy looking, glowing base! Especially for spring and summer…

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

My experience with BY TERRY at MADISON LUXURY PERFUMERY – Part 2: Get ready with me…

Tags

anniversary, Baume de Rose, beauty, By Terry, cosmetics, event, France, high end, luxury, madison, makeup, perfumery, rose, soft pink, Sophie KIlian

Earlier last week, I’ve got an email from the beautiful Alexandra – professional make-up artist that works at Madison Luxury Perfumery. Madison is one of the most amazing places to shop for makeup, skincare and fragrance in Bucharest. But that’s a whole other story!

Since Tuesday, the 18th of February was the date of a special event – 10 years anniversary of By Terry’s Baume de Rose, they had a special guest: the international make-up artist for By Terry, Sophie Killian. So Alexandra asked me if I want to come… I confirmed my presence in less than 2 seconds, as you can easily imagine!

–  photo – courtesy of Madison Luxury Perfumery, on Facebook

I couldn’t wait for Tuesday to come! And when I arrived there was instantly mesmerized. The atmosphere was warm, with slow music in the background and Sophie working her magic. Alexandra greet me and offered me a coffee and some appetizers, then she showed me around; this is how I found out the history behind the brand By Terry – that I shared with you in my previous post.

Then, Sophie was kind enough to perform a personalized makeup session on me. ( Imagine the excitement! )

Here is a list of the products she used on me:

– first of all, Alexandra prepared my face by cleansing it with By Terry Pureté De Rose Refreshing Cleansing Gel

– then she applied a base Cellular Rose ® Brightening CC Lumi Serum, in no 3 – Apricot Glow ( love at first sight )

– foundation: Sheer – Expert Foundation, in #07 – Vanilla Beige

– for lips – contour: Crayon Lèvres Terrybly, in #02 – Rose Contour and the Rouge Terrybly Lipstick, in #404 – Carnal Attraction

– blush: Hyaluronic Blush, in #03 – Bubble Glow

– eyes: Ombre Blackstar in #14 – Blue Obession and the Crayon Kohl Terrybly, in #01 – Black Print;

– mascara: Terrybly #01 – Party – Pris

– eyebrows: Crayon Sourcils Terrybly, in #02 – Ash Brown

The brushes Sophie used to apply the makeup, were: Pinceau Teint Précision #6, Pinceau Joues-Biseau #3, Pinceau Levres Rétractable Précision #7, Pinceau Sculpteur Biseau #1 and Dome #3.

Everything Sophie used to do this makeup look is available online at Madison, ByTerry website and at my favourite online beauty shop SpaceNK.

And here is the final result… A sultry night makeup face, with blue smoky eyes and dark lips. I loved it to death! So much that I even dare to post a close up of this look, after a few hours of being out in town with the girls!…

– I know I look tired here, but bare with  me!… Point is the makeup was still in place, even after all that time… I’ve only reapplied the lipstick!

See you soon, beautiful!

xx, Annie

CHANEL JOUES CONTRASTE powder blush in no 86 DISCRÉTION

Tags

blush, chanel, cosmetic, Discrétion, Joues Contraste, makeup, review, rose, scent, soft pink, spring

Ah! Chanel… Every girl’s dream!

Who wouldn’t love a bit of Chanel blush on their cheeks?!

My favourite at the moment is the Chanel Joue Contraste powder blush in Discrétion, #86. I bought it last fall from my local Sephora, on an absolute whim, because I was actually looking for the perfect nude lipstick ( still looking for that one!… ). So, the beauty and the delicacy of the Joue Contrastes lured me in – once again – and made me bring this beauty home with me.

The colour is a soft, light pink with a neutral almost warm undertone. In some lights you can even see a hint of coral undertone in it. But what attracted me to this blush in the first place was the color it presents in the pan. I looks like a pale baby pink, with iridescent micro shimmers; that will not transfer a lot on the cheeks. The shade itself is soft, it has a decent pigmentation and it can be build up easily; as you can see in the swatches below.

         – for comparison you can see JC Blush  #86 – Discrétion ( bottom ) swatched heavily and then light, next to JC Blush #72 Rose – Initiale ( top ).

I find the texture of this blush more powdery than what Chanel blushes got me used to. It feels noticeably more buttery soft than the other JC of baked version in the permanent line, that’s why I recommend applying it with a softer or finer bristled brush – like Tom Ford’s blush brush. But I’m also applying it with the brush that comes with it. No complains there!

With Discrétion, I usually need one or two swipes for the colour to show on my face the way I like it. With the other JCs I own, that are in baked formula also, I have to insist a bit more to obtain the natural flush of colour I like.

It smells like roses, which is the signature scent for all the Chanel makeup products. When I use this blush my whole room smells like roses for a while.

The packaging is sleek, as Chanel used us with; black with the well known white CC logo. It comes with the usual external packaging, the black velvet pouch, a brush that I, personally, am ok with and when you open it for the first time you can see a plastic dome that protects the blush itself. ( That is if/when you recover yourself from that rose scent that will literally hit you in the face, with all it’s awesomenes… )

Bottom line: Chanel Joue Contraste Blush #86 Discrétion is a must have in your blush collection if you like pretty, pink, soft blushes.

See you soon, beautiful people!

xx, Annie