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· March 22, 2007 9:12 PM by
Colleen Shirazi
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Posted by Dain, Thursday, March 22, 2007 2:35 PM (Eastern)
Hi! I'm back. Vacation was great. Here is my haul...
La Prairie Cellular Day Cream: At Zurich (Switzerland) duty free, it was €89, which is about $118, the same in the US. This is one of the original products, unchanged since the 70s. It is a rich cream for normal to normal/dry skin, without frills. It has a wonderful texture, and you need only a little. The scent is powdery, not my favorite, but I don't mind it. This is a really top-notch product, and it has no pretensions—which I really like. I am very content with this face cream, and will use it to the dregs (it'll take me a while!), but I'm not convinced this is the "one". I am still curious about Sisley Creme Reparatrice and Decleor Harmonie Gentle Soothing Cream, both of which are cheaper in France. I wonder if I need more moisture, in which case the La Prairie Cellular Time Release Moisture Intensive might be better.
Decléor Aromaessence Rose D'Orient: At Galeries Lafayette in Nice, €42 ($55), about ten dollars cheaper. This smells wonderful, like sweet rose and neroli, but quite strong. It's high quality oils (sweet almond, black currant, corn oil, bitter orange, tocopherol, sunflower seed, neroli, carrot extract, rose, chamomile), and a drop or two is all you need, so one bottle, though expensive, will last a long while. I pat it into freshly cleansed skin, and apply moisturizer over it (La Prairie). The first time I used it, my skin was reactive, burned and itched a little, but I've since learned to use less, because the oils are so potent. It's not as nourishing as you might think (neroli or iris might be better if you have dry skin), so I definitely need a moisturizer over it, at least in the winter. Strangely, it has an exfoliating effect. I think this product needs more time to see its virtues, but I will say that when I wake up, I can see a difference: my skin looks bright and clean and healthy.
Caron Poudre Peau Fine Compact No. 5: At Galeries Lafayette in Nice, €31.50 ($42), about the same in the US, but it's almost impossible to find in America. There is a Caron store in New York, that is it. I've been dying to try it: I'd heard it was superior even to LeClerc in quality, and the Chanel compact I had been using had been discontinued. The shade I got is supposed to match the loose powder shades in Madame, Gitane, Noisette, and Tango. I chose the pressed power, because I don't really bother with loose. The compact is very presentable, small but heavy in the hand, in shiny gold with dots. It's very vintage 40s, and almost impossible to identify: unlike Chanel (the new pressed powder is a bit coarse for my liking, why did they change it?), Guerlain (Les Meteorites had a funny whitish cast, and Les Violettes, while good, has a beautiful but cheap construction, both are much more expensive), YSL (not tightly pressed enough, a sign of lesser quality, a pressed powder should be hard, not soft, to the touch), LeClerc (too drying). The powder inside is scented with real Bulgarian rose (which I like), very finely milled and tightly pressed, a flesh tone with a little peach in it; it reminds me of YSL Touche Eclat, with perhaps a little less pink. It's almost undetectable on (I use my Kevyn Aucoin Large Blush and Powder brush or the wonderful fine-textured sponge from the Kevyn Aucoin The Gossamer Loose Powder, rather than the puff it comes with), it's just got a slight diffusing effect that adds light to tired skin, but it doesn't look like you're wearing anything, just velvety, poreless skin. Which is perfect for me, because I don't like to wear foundation because it makes my skin feel dirty, even tinted moisturizer (the only exception being Chantecaille Real Skin). It does emphasize any dry patches, but any powder will do that. Perhaps this is premature, but I really consider this my HG! It is a superb product, just very difficult to find.
PHYTO Phytonectar Ultra Nourishing Shampoo: Only €12, at any pharmacie, which a little over half the price in America, I already love this shampoo. My hair is very long and dry, and this supergentle, luxurious shampoo cleans without stripping, all without noxious silicones. And it smells so good, like an explosion of orange blossoms in your shower. I almost also bought the Le Petit Marseillaise Shower Gel in Fleurs D'Oranger, the same scent, but decided against it when I remembered that I have plenty of body wash at home. It should be noted that the infamous glass bottles, which I rather liked (but I realize they are dangerous) have been replaced with unbreakable metal bottles.
PHYTO Phytorhum Fortifying Shampoo: I haven't tried this one yet, but I bought this because I heard it was even better than the Phytonectar. This one repairs damage. You are supposed to shampoo twice and leave it in. It smells like egg nog, for real. You can definitely smell the spiced rum and eggs. I'm gonna try it tonight.
L'Occitane Miel Incense: Another product I love, also about half the price it is in the US (€9.50). It's one of my favorite things ever, it smells like honey and meadow flowers; this is the third tube (there are 40 sticks inside).
That's it! I was very good and got only what I needed. I still need to buy: NARS Habanera Duo, NARS Pandora Duo, NARS Sin Blush, NARS Desire Blush (my roommate dropped mine and I have very little left), a lipstick to replace Maybelline Drippin' Honey (so I'm searching for the perfect blackberry stain, with just the right amount of brown in it), a lipstick to replace MAC Red Haute (maybe YSL Rouge Pur Shine no. 8), Kevyn Aucoin The Eye Pencil Primatif in Basic Black, Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream, Chanel Lavande Eyeshadow single, Serge Lutens Tubereuse Criminelle, Chanel Allure, NARS Nepal, NARS Bombshell, NARS Shanghai Empress, and I need to settle on the perfect deep conditioner and everyday conditioner, but I don't know what.
Labels: caron, decleor, hair, l'occitane, la prairie, phyto, skin
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March 22, 2007 9:12 PM,
Welcome back! Sounds like excellent, well-thought-out shopping.
Isn't it a kick in the butt that you have to replace MAC's limited edition lipsticks, with lipsticks in the $22+ range? I've been looking on and off for a substitute for Strawberry Blonde. The closest clones appear to be Julie Hewett Gem Noir and Nars Niagara (although I think the latter is a bit too bright and orange to be an actual clone).
The third candidate is a Victoria's Secret lipstick, Love Bite, but I dunno...I have no idea how long VS keeps their stock before discontinuing it (for some reason, I doubt it's overly long).
Now if MAC just made real lipsticks the way they used to...mumbles...
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