Coquette

Korean Beauty: AmorePacific Skin Care

AmorePacific is a famous luxury Korean skin care brand that uses antioxidant green tea to Korean ginseng (known to be the best) and bamboo sap. The natural botanical ingredients are what make AmorePacific skin care products work. I have been using these skincare products for a few weeks and love how my skin feels. If you are looking to find a good skin care line to switch to for fall and winter, this one is it. The products are made with natural Asian botanicals with cutting-edge technology.

I've been really loving the combination of the Amore Pacific Future Response Age Defense Serum ($160) and the AmorePacific Future Response Age Defense Cream ($195). I have been using them both morning and night. The serum is so light and feels soft on my skin. Both of these products use a concentrated blend of green tea and pine mushrooms to protect skin. The cream is also really light and is a perfect daily moisturizer. I feel like the texture of my skin has gotten better having been using this cream for 3 weeks now. The cream helps protect gains pollution and free radicals so it's perfect for my city life. There is also a version of this cream with added sunscreen. (I am using the one without.)

I love the packaging for the cream. The jar opens from the bottom and there's an adorable spoon for you to scoop out the cream so your fingers aren't touching the jar inside.

The AmorePacific Intensive Vitalizing Eye Essence ($95) is pure heaven for my eyes! I love the cooling rollerball and the serum helps to de-puff your eyes as well as lifting and brightening. I have only been using this for a week and half and I see a difference under my eyes. I have been using this also both morning and night. Make sure you follow the directions that come with the eye essence to get the best results.

Here's a close up of the rollerball. It's really cooling and great to massage your eye to drain out the fluid so your eyes aren't looking puffy. You click end of the wand like a pen to release the eye serum and then turn to lock it.

Before I received these full-sized AmorePacific products, I have been using some Amore Pacific samples from Sephora. I also really recommend the AmorePacific Treatment Cleansing Foam ($50). It's a great cleanser that foams up to clean your skin that contains Vitamin E. Once you finish cleansing your skin, you can exfoliate with the AmorePacific Treatment Enzyme Peel ($60). It's a powder that you activate with water and it gently exfoliates your skin using natural papaya enzymes. No harsh rubbing or crystals! This gently removes dead surface skin and can be used everyday. I am just using it every few days. Once I finish this small sample bottle, I'm going to purchase one because it really works. Your skin feels even softer after you put on the Amore Pacific skin care products.

I just received the AmorePacific Age Correcting Foundation Cushion ($80 at Amore Pacific). I am really excited to try it out and will post up a review soon!

To find out more about AmorePacific skin care products, visit us.amorepacific.com.

Review products provided by Amore Pacific

Milani Cosmetics Amore Matte Lip Creme

I've been a fan of the Milani Cosmetics Baked Blush for years now (see post here) so I jumped at the chance to try the new limited edition Milani Amore Matte Lip Creme ($8.99). Matte lips are in and these lip colors are so easy to use with the soft, doe foot applicator. I like how it isn't stick and the liquid formula dries into soft, velvety finish. My lips don't look dry either! The color really lasts and I can eat lunch without my lip color coming off.

I have it in three shades: (top to bottom) 30 Honey, 25 Allure and 34 Beautiful (red). The color Beautiful is just stunning and perfect to wear for any upcoming holiday parties and events. I love wearing Honey as the perfect nude for everyday and Allure is just the perfect rose pink. You can also add a little gloss if you want more shine. I love these lip cremes and the price is just perfect to get a few in your favorite colors!

Purchase the Milani Amore Matte Lip Creme at milanicosmetics.com.

Review products provided by Milani Cosmetics

Tatcha 7 Day Journey Set

I love using my Tatcha products, like my Tatcha One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil but I never would have known how great the products were if I didn't get the Tatcha facial at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay this summer.

Now for a limited time, get the 7 Day Journey Set for just $10! This introductory set comes with 14 trial packets: 7 Camillia Cleansing Oil packets and 7 Classic Rice Enzyme Powder packets to tone and polish your skin. This two-step ritual will transform your skin in a week! It's a great way to try out the Tatcha cleansing ritual. This is also a great travel set that will last you for a week on vacation!

Purchase the 7 Day Journey Set for a limited time at Tatcha.

Drybar's Amazing Hair Products

I recently had my first Drybar blowout experience and they really made my hair look amazing for my 10th wedding anniversary. I'm trying to reproduce what I experienced there with some of their products. I am happy to report that I am able to reproduce some of it, at least the volume and shine part of things with these products. I just ordered the Drybar The 3-Day Bender 1" Barrel Digital Curling Iron online from Sephora to get some natural waves going. It should be coming this week so I hope to have that in another review for you.

I'm tired of my hair looking stick straight and flat for everyday that I started giving my hair a little volume with this amazing mousse. The Drybar Southern Belle Volumizing Mousse ($26 at Sephora) isn't sticky and is so lightweight in my hair. A little goes a long way and it helps give me a little volume and bounce when I blow dry my hair. My hair still feels soft and not crunchy like a typical mousse.

I'm also letting the color grow out of my hair and right now I have a bit of ombré brown highlights on the lower half of my hair. I've found that coloring my hair left my hair really dry and coarse. It's finally getting back to smooth shape now that I've stopped. But the colored portions of my hair are hit and miss. This is where I have discovered the Drybar The Chaser Shine Cream ($29 at Sephora) After I blow dry, I use this cream on the lower-half of my hair and ends and it really makes my hair shiny without weighing it down! It tames frizzes and flyaways.

Drybar Merry Mini Must-Haves Blowout Extending Essentials To Go ($29 at Sephora). This limited edition holiday set contains three of their key products that I really wanted to try out. (Psst! This makes a great stocking stuffer!) There is the Detox Dry Shampoo (1.4 oz), Detox Dry Conditioner (1.3 oz) and the Triple Sec 3-in-1 (1.6 oz). The Triple Sec 3-in-1 is my go to item to give my hair volume after I've curled it. I flip my hair over and spray my hair underneath. Then when I flip my hair back, I've increased my hair volume and also locked in the curls. I also like that it smells so sweet, kinda like cupcakes.

I also really love both the dry shampoo and conditioner. I had previously tried the Living Proof version and didn't like the sticky color it put on my hair. The Drybar ones don't feel heavy and it really keeps my hair oil-free and makes my blowout last a little longer. The dry conditioner is great to detangle my hair too.

Drybar hair products are formulated without parabens, sulfates and phthalates This cruelty-free product is not tested on animals and it is safe for color treated and keratin treated hair.

To find out a Drybar salon near you, visit thedrybar.com. You can purchase Drybar products at Sephora.

Pretty Paper + New Books

I'm a paper addict and I love pretty notebooks. I love the feeling I get when I jot down my ideas or to do lists in a notebook. I love these two above because they are just the right size (can fit in my tote and is soft covered) and they are just gorgeous. The Feminist Journal ($9.95) is such an inspiring journal featuring the word "Feminist" in rose gold type on a light pink cover. I love the quotes on the inside from feminists past and present. I also love the Rose Gold Notebook Set ($12.95) featuring two notebooks in navy blue and mint green featuring a beautiful floral design in rose gold. Both of these are from Chronicle Books, a publisher that's based in San Francisco that I love so much for their wit, humor and most of all beautiful design sense. You can subscribe to the Chronicle Books site and get 20% off your order. (Go down to the bottom of the homepage and you'll see it on the right.) There's also Free Shipping in the U.S. on orders over $25.

The interior of the Feminist Journal features lined as well as blank pages. You can see some of the sample quotes above from poet Maya Angelou and comedian Amy Schumer.

These are the two beautiful notebooks you get in the Rose Gold Notebook Set. Seriously dying over that shade of mint green!

Here are more pretty paper goods & books from Chronicle Books. Some of these are new fall releases!

50 Ways to Wear Denim by Lauren Friedman ($14.95)

New for fall is this fantastic book! Mix up your denim and learn how to wear different kinds of jeans from flared, straight-legged, skinny and more! Just like Freidman's previous book, 50 Ways to Wear a Scarf, this is the ultimate fashion reference guide. Jeans are essential to me -- I wear them almost everyday and this book helps you mix up your denim looks to try new fashion forward techniques.

Eat Pretty, Live Well By Jolene Hart ($16.95)

This is more than just a food diary, it's a companion to the book, Eat Pretty: Nutrition for Beauty, Inside and Out which is an amazing book that goes through how nutrition can help get you better skin and better overall health. This notebook features fill-in trackers and checklists, Q&As, goal-setting guidance, prompts for self-reflection, and repeating spreads for monitoring 40 days of living and eating well.

Creative Writing: A Journal with Art to Kickstart Your Writing By Eva Glettner ($16.95)

Writing can be fun with this inspirational journal filled with illustrated writing prompts. The illustrations by indie artists are fresh the writing prompts themselves are humorous and inventive. I have found that they really inspire me to get pen to paper and make up a corresponding story. It's the perfect size to have enough room to write, yet also not feel overwhelmed by empty white pages. If you need to jump start some creativity, this is the book for you.

Helen Frankenthaler Notes ($14.95)

I always have a box of notecards on hand to write a quick hello or thank you note to a friend. This box set of abstract expressionist paintings by Helen Frankenthaler from the 1960's are just perfect. I like that they are blank inside so I can use the cards however I want.

Pantone Garlands: 80 Alphabet and Decorative Tiles ($16.95)

The next time you are hosting a little party, create your own garland with these colorful and large alphabet Pantone chips. The box contains 72 alphabet tiles, 8 decorative tiles (blank colorful tiles to use as spacers) and 5 yards of grosgrain ribbon.

Christian Lacroix Ombre Paseo Neon Pink Sticky Note ($13)

These are the most fashionable sticky notes ever! This Christian Lacroix set of sticky notes comes in four color pads: blue, pink, yellow and gray. Each pad has 50 sheets of sticky notes.

For more pretty paper and books, visit Chronicle Books.

Review products provided by Chronicle Books

September Favorites: Function of Beauty, YSL Beauty, Charlotte Tilbury + More

October is already here! I hope you like this month's favorites. If I had to choose just one beauty item to get from this list here it would be the limited edition YSL Limited Edition Summer Addition Couture Palette. The formula for these shadows are so much softer than the regular YSL eye shadow palettes and this color combination is only exclusive to Bloomingdales. Once these sell out, they are gone! Hope you enjoy some of my favorite items from September!

1. Function of Beauty Shampoo and Conditioner (8 oz bottle set start at $26)

I'm almost out of my Function of Beauty shampoo and conditioner and am about to reorder a new set. This personalized shampoo and conditioner helps you create your own haircare system for your needs. There are over 450 million different possible variations of their shampoos and conditioners and all of their products are free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates, GMOs and triclosan. Since I reviewed it earlier this summer, they have now added more colors and fragrances to the mix. You can also choose how light or strong you want the fragrance to be. (Coquette review)

2. Champagne Splits Shimmering Skin Perfector® Mineral Blush Duo ($38 at Sephora)

I've been pretty loyal lately to my NARS blushes but this one I have been wearing daily since I bought it. It's got a bit more color to it than NARS Orgasm but it still is a coral tone that works with a lot of skintones out there. I don't use the highlight color each day though. I like it but find it too shimmery for everyday wear and use it for when I'm going out or when I really want to look more made up. (Coquette review)

3. YSL Limited Edition Summer Addition Couture Palette ($60 at Bloomingdales, limited edition)

This has been my go-to eye palette ever since I bought it. I actually bought a Naked 3 palette over the summer and have barely used it now thanks to this one. All of these five colors are so flattering and subtle. For day to day, I tend to use just two colors and for a night out have used all of them which is so rare for me to use all the shadows in a palette at once. The powders are so soft that they blend amazingly well. These colors really enhance your eyes and don't overpower your face. It's been giving my Asian eyes some good dimension that's soft and subtle. The center color is this soft purplish brown that I feel like is the key to the entire palette! This is limited edition so hurry before it's gone! (Coquette review)

4. Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lustre Luxe Color-Lasting Lip Lacquer in High Society ($22 at Bloomingdales)

I'm so glad that Charlotte Tilbury is now available in Bloomingdales in the U.S. because I'm now able to try out her beauty products before I buy. This lip gloss is everything because it's in the perfect neutral shade. I can wear it alone when I'm going for a light makeup look or layer it on top of lipstick when I want more color and shine. It's not sticky at all. You know how I don't like sticky gloss. I also like that the packaging is compact and not heavy. It fits in even the tiniest of mini bags! (Coquette review)

5. My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout ($10.21 on Amazon)

This is the story about Lucy Barton and her lifelong quest for love and it's meaning through her family and relationships. The story starts with Lucy in her 50-60's, thinking back to the past when she was in a New York City hospital battling an illness and how her mom came to visit her for five days during the 1980's. It's within those days that we flip back to the past or jump to the present and hear how Lucy is feeling about everything from growing up poor to her love for her two daughters. This book is a short book and you'll find yourself blazing through it because it's so easy to read. I devoured it quickly in a matter of days and for someone who has a child, that is no small feat. I find myself re-reading lines beacause they carry so much weight to them -- I savor the words and try to uncover the layers of meaning below the surface. If I could define this book it two words it would be: Subtle beauty. You'll definitely enjoy reading this book. I just borrowed Strouts Pulitzer Prize winning book, Olive Kitteridge.