My Summer Staples

Summer brings it's own special makeup , skincare and accessories. With my oily , perspiring skin, nothing heavy will do  and I like to get a bronzed glow on.   I  also love big bracelets as opposed to necklaces that sit on a warm neck this time of year.

Here are some of my every day staples of summer. Links lead back to my original review if there was one.

Havaianas- I used to think what's all the fuss about these flip flops? Then I got a pair. Now I have 4 and feel like I need many more. Far more sturdier than most and  very comfortable .

Guerlain Terracotta LipGloss- They release these in summer for a reason, they're totally right for the season. Usually they have SPF , unfortunately this time they don't. But the new bright coral shade is sheer and juicy,  and really not overly bright.  Perfect for a  pop of color. Still using last  year's more neutral bronze shade as well.  Doesn't hurt either that the packaging is so hot.

Dusting Powder- I live for dusting powder when it's hot. They refresh, cool and add light scent. Right now I am loving Caswell Massey's Lilac and Honeysuckle scents and Penhaligon's Violetta ( when do you ever see violet powder ? I've hoarded my tin for years now).

Citrus Fragrances- As much as I love fragrance, when it's really hot I can't do the heavier scents. I adore citrus always  but especially in summer. There are too many to show all of here, but Dior Escale a Pondicherry and Acqua Di Parma Arancia di Capri are two tops favs. Lancome's new O d'Azur  and Annick Goutal's Eau de Hadrien and Ninfeo Mio are  others that get a lot of use.

MAC Paint Pots- Cream shadow rarely  if ever lasts on me  but Paint Pots really work well. Better than powders often.  They are easy  and look great. Favorite  shade is  Indianwood.

Chanel Bronzer- I have two season's past version but they've released  one this year too. What makes this bronzer special is the bands of color. Just a hint of shimmer  and not too dark. You can skip the darkest ones if needed ( I  usually do) and just swipe across the shades that look best on you. I use the bottom ones for a nice light tan look.

Ray Ban Wayfarers- I wore these when they were cool the first time, I wore them when they weren't in style  and I wear them now that they are back again. I've never stopped loving  my Wayfarers and that's that. (  But somehow they got left out of the picture).

Clinique Acne Solutions Foundation- Kept my skin in top shape last summer, helping to hold back the oilies  and acne . It'll be back in the regimen this summer too. No messing with perfection.

Sunscreen (of course)- Hawaiian Tropic  Sheer Touch SPF 50 , this really holds up in water, best I've used for that. Anything with Mexoryl in it. It's the best SPF. Currently finishing my Ambre Solaire from France and have an Ombrelle waiting to be opened. For face- Clarins UV Plus HP  -no moisture, just SPF 40 , mineral and plant based. You never even know it's on. Skinceuticals Physical Fusion SPF 50 is my second fav  for face.

Bangle bracelets- Easy to wear when hot. Less sticking to your skin.  This one is  made of Mango Tree wood .  These are super fun, tribal looking, comfy and inexpensive. I also have a faux Ivory $3 one from H&M years ago that I wear all the time.

Blue Topaz ring- Thankfully I bought good jewelry  back when it was really well priced . This ring came from QVC at least 10 years ago and is Blue Topaz set in sterling. I have another similar one but set in a simple band. These are great for summer as the blue pops with a tan, is a summer color and  they are bold enough  to stand without other jewelry or look great with bangles  .

Phyto Sun Haircare-  For the past 2 summers the Phyto Plage Protective Sun Veil spray followed me to the pool. I use after swimming and run it through  my wet hair. It keeps it feeling soft and compensates for the drying and acidic effect of the water. If you have colored hair, it helps hold color in as well.

 What are some of your summer staples?  I'd love to hear .

Annick Goutal Le Mimosa

My review of the new Annick Goutal Spring beauty Le Mimosa is up on Beautystat here if you're interested. It's the newest in the house's soliflore line.

Best of Beauty 2010

It's time for the best of the year , a look back at my top favorites. It's not always easy to slim the list down as I like so many products. But these that follow were the tops, or at least the ones that came immediately to mind. Most were reviewed here before so a link is there if you wish to read the original post. Please share your "best of" for the year in the comments. I'd love to know what's on everyones list.

Dior J'Adore L'Or- Full review coming soon on this as I only tried it at Christmastime.  An updating of the original J'Adore with a focus on purer , high grade essences and rose absolute and jasmine from Dior's own fields, this powerhouse white floral is beyond beautiful. So well done, and a bit more of an oil than as it's an essence of perfume rather than a  straight EDP.

Annick Goutal Ninfeo Mio- Another hit from the great house. Love at first sniff and few others came close to it all year. It's not like anything else out there and for Spring and Summer weather,  so beautiful, fresh and  green.

Clinique Acne Solutions  Liquid Makeup - Kept my skin in check all summer, the hottest on record here. Not as matte as I usually use but it worked so well at keeping acne  down and helped oilies as well, while also providing great coverage and good looking skin.

Clinique All About Eyes Serum De-Puffing Eye Massage- A genius idea. Cools, soothes , brightens and de-puffs all at once. Not it is not quite a miracle worker, you don't suddenly lose all puffiness etc.,  but it does make a difference and feels so good on. Anytime your eyes are tired or irritated , reach for this.

Dior Rouge Dior Haute Couleur Lipsticks- There were a lot of fabulous new lipsticks this fall, one from most major brands. I liked or loved  most , but the best to me was the new Dior. It feels like air on your lips but packs pigment and moisture and simply looks like lipstick should. 

Ellis Faas Makeup - Everything in this new  this year line but especially the Eye Lights metallic eye shadows.  With innovative colorways and packaging,  this became a huge favorite.

Origins Zero Oil Cleanser- Most amazing oily skin cleanser ever. Yes ,really. Did wonders for my skin in the super hot summer heat. Kept using all fall and into winter  even. Not harsh but cleanses well and helps bat down that pesky over oiliness. Zero Oil indeed. Maybe not all of it, but enough.

Chanel Les Khakis nail polish- The polish everyone at Fashion Week in Sept. 2010 was either talking about, wanting or wearing. I got more compliments on my Khaki Vert toes than I ever expected. I also didn't expect the  polish to look so good, but somehow it was perfect. The two other shades didn't move me as much but I still like them.

Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Wild Ginger - This new line  grabbed a lot of reader attention and deservedly so . Deeply repairing for damaged and very dry hair, it's that good. 

MAC Venomous Villains- One of the most hotly anticipated collections of the year . This was simply fun but also had some great colors. I know people who wanted it simply because it was Disney, but most of us I think wanted it because it was Disney and MAC.  The decals/logos were well done and I love having at least one lippie sitting out where I can see it.

Honorable mentions go to :

 1. Clarins Extra Firming Foundation-  they do know foundation as well as skincare there .  Super coverage, firming, radiance. Hits all the marks.

2. Atelier Perfumes- a new, niche line  of old  style cologne  scents modernized and better.  

3. Maybelline Age Rewind The Eraser Foundation - A drugstore foundation that truly competes with the high end lines.

Annick Goutal Ninfeo Mio EDT

Excitement is in the air when Annick Goutal releases a new scent. Last year's Un Matin D'Orage is still a favorite and the new Ninfeo Mio had me at first sniff . As I write I am sitting here smelling like a warm day in a lush Italian garden .

Ninfeo Mio is inspired by and named after the Gardens of Ninfa in Italy, approx. 40 miles southeast of Rome, and is very much in the citrus vein of many Annick Goutals but different at the same time.

Initially it is all green stem notes with a burst of more dry than sweet citrus. It could be called "green shoots and leaves" for the first few seconds.

A slightly animalic note comes along well into the midpoint ( March over at Perfume Posse calls it a "boxwoody" note) , and then there is the the lightly sweet fig note . To my nose the fig is not too pronounced . It all smells a bit wet, like the fruits and stems had been rained on first. By the drydown you have a very dry yet sunny , green stem ,citrus and fig scent with the tiniest bit of sweetness that isn't overly feminine but isn't overly unisex either.

It is very pretty but not a traditional pretty. Just a little more green than what one thinks of as "pretty" . It makes for a wonderful Spring and hot weather scent. Cool but bright.

Lasting power on this is very good and sillage is medium. Both are very good for a citrus heavy scent .

Notes include : bergamot, citron, petitgrain, bitter orange, galbanum, lentisque, lavender, fig leaf and lemon tree wood .

Retail : 1.7 oz is $ 80.00 , and the 3.4 is $115. 00

Ninfeo Mio is out this month at Neimans, Bergdorfs and Saks and more.


Ninfa Gardens images from : http://www.fondazionecaetani.org/gallery.php

*press sample

Annick Goutal Noel Candle

The Noel candle by Annick Goutal is a holiday tradition. Each year it comes out in time for Christmas and in a new glass design . This year's has gold stars floating all around the glass.

The scent is of a beautifully fragrant live Christmas tree with a hint of citrus. It's not artificial or cloying, not too overdone. Just fresh and lovely, what you'd expect from such a quality fragrance house. The wax is a clear white so it will go with any decor.

The candle comes in a large size that has a burn time of 60 hours( $ 65.00), a set of 5 votives( $ 52.00), and a room spray( $ 46.00).

Available at Saks, Neimans, Nordstrom and more.

* press sample

Annick Goutal Eau d' Hadrien 2009 Collection

Annick Goutal has added some great new items to the Eau De Hadrien lineup. One of my all time favorites, the scent is great for summer, but also fine year round. It's unisex, and all citrus without being sweet.

Now you can scrub and moisturize with it. A new Body Scrub and Body Cream are making their debut along with the rollerball and a candle.

The Body Cream has avocado oil, vitamin A, and aloe along with a high fragrance concentration. The Body Scrub has sugar crystals, sweet almond oil and aloe.

The rollerballs are not only portable, but affordable too. I love that such a high end brand makes these. This one is in the EDP formulation .

Most items are exclusive to Nordstroms right now, and will release wider in August.

Body cream ( 6.8 oz) $ 95.00
Candle $65.00
Rollerball (.3 oz) $ 39.00
Body Scrub( 6.7oz)- I don't have pricing yet, this looks to be the last item to debut.

Scents for Mother's Day- Annick Goutal and Molton Brown

Ok, if you've left Mother's Day shopping to the last minute( like me) or you want to treat yourself to something wonderful, here are a couple great choices.

First up the Soliflore collections of perfumes from Annick Goutal. It's hard to go wrong with anything Goutal, but some of the soliflores are among my favorites. I have La Violette- a pitch perfect, soft, slightly green,true violet, and Le Jasmin- a soft, all floral jasmin, a bit sweet and not indolic in any way.

I have sniffed several of the others and find them all really nice too. I happen to be a single note fan , so that helps. When it's well done, rose or jasmin, or lily of the valley( Le Muguet) etc. are beautiful on their own. Le Chèvrefeuille (Honeysuckle), and Neroli ( Orange Blossom) round out the group. The Neroli is the newest release .

Annick was the mom here and the company is now run by daughter Camille.

At http://www.saks.com/ you can buy all 5 for 400.00 , or individually for 80.00 each. Each scent is a 1.7 oz EDT.

Also at http://www.aedes.com/, select Nordstroms, and other retailers.

Next up: Molton Brown.

Luxury bath products are always a great gift and the Molton Brown in relaxing Yuan Zhi bath & shower and relaxing Yuan Zhi sleep mist is a nice idea. ( My friend The Movie Mommy would go wild for this, sleepless mom of 2 toddlers that she is)
"Yuan zhi, a wild South China plant, is used traditionally to balance energy (Chi) and soothe the spirit.

Notes include: aromatic oils of vanilla, Ylang Ylang, and rose .

This richly moisturizing bath formula and sleep mist combats stress and promotes peaceful sleep. "
Price: bath gel $28, sleep mist $44,

Available at http://www.moltonbrown.com/, and Blue Mercury shops .