Love you 2012..Welcome 2013!

You're all I need to get by..this winter

Hoping you and yours are having a great holiday season!

I've been traveling a bit and can't wait to settle down and get back in the groove of things. Groove being the operative word as I received a turntable for Chrimbus so now I can enjoy this Diana Ross album I picked up at Amoeba Records Hollywood last week.

All music aside, winter is here and its time to do an about face with the routine. Since I've been on an award tour (with Mohammad my man..just had to add that..haha) from East coast to West Coast and back, from T-shirt and shades 76 degrees Fahrenheit down to a snowy 29 degrees Fahrenheit. I found some pretty reliable moisturizers for my oily-sensitive skin and was introduced to a new lipgloss and hand salve while in LA too.

In the morning I spritz on Caudalie Beauty Elixir after my morning cleanser and then use a pea size of ReVive Moisturizng Renewal Cream. This cream is a dream.. and very pricey for my budget but I did get this during the Barneys Love Yourself Beauty event in my dopp bag.
For the evening after cleansing I use a pea size amount of La Mer's new Moisturizing Soft Cream. I bought the soft cream during the Barneys event and I have loved it ever since. I have a good friend whose skin looks just amazing and she's been using La Mer products for years. I have been using the green gel cleanser for 10 years but have just went down the rabbit hole with the soft cream.. I might not look back!
Both morning and night routines have worked well in the crazy temps my skin has been exposed to and the dry conditions of airplanes and buses.
As for my makeup routine.. I was ecstatic to see that Fashion Valley's Sephora had Dior's Creme de Rose! This stuff is no where to be found in NYC..I dare you to name one of the 10+ Sephora's in the city that has this in stock- none, nada, zip, zilch.
Since I'm in a berry mood, I picked up the new LA Miss Lippy by Butter London while in LA. I'll have to do a full review later, the color is what you see and what you get! The gloss goes of smooth and sheer so you can layer it for depth.
Finally, I checked out a new salve/balm for my perpetually dry hands and found one with a heavenly ( sweet not saccharine) by Barr Co. Its made in St. Louis Missouri and I have to find out if they are in a retailer here in NYC. I found it at American Rag Cie in LA and I think it was one of the best finds in the store!

So this is my 2012 winter skincare routine in a nutshell. I'll have some haircare stuff soon! It should be exciting as I just made some homemade shampoo.


Have a wonderful New Years! and see you in 2013!
xo L

Happy Halloween DIY

 I hope all my east-coasties are doing well and are recovering from the wrath of Sandy. This natural disaster was no joke. I hunkered down in Brooklyn to winds that roared like a freight train for at least a day and a half, while downtown and the LES are powerless and surrounded by water. I'm fortunate to be safe but am still shell-shocked. 

This afternoon I ventured to Atlantic Ave and saw tons of cute kids in costume. It was great to see kids having a great time despite the circumstances. I thought, heh, since my original plans fell through ( I will save my costume for another time- it was great!), why not share a Halloween shoot I had the opportunity to do with Refinery 29 and Make Up For Ever, Halloween DIY.

I was made over to look like Azealia Banks and had so much fun at the shoot! Here is a sneak peak photo and the rest can be seen here: 3 Thrilling, Chilling Halloween Makeup DIY's

So what's on my plate? a full course load, class projects, club events, etc. but I'm going to do my best to keep bringing you the swatches, reviews and product chats that you crave.

xo Lacroix

50 Grades of Shea part 5

To round out the series, here are some creamy comforts just in time for the fall to winter transition.

L'Occitane Ultra Rich Body Cream Rich in Shea Butter

Korres Cheek Butter

Shea Moisture Restorative Conditioner

Burts Bees Honey & Shea Sugar scrub

Pur Minerals Ruby Red Mineral Shea Butter Lipstick

Kiss My Face Lavender & Shea Moisture Shave

Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm

Lavender Mint is my year-around favorite.

Earth Mama Body Butter

Sisley confort extreme night skin care

Skinceuticals redness neutralizer

Rosacea suffers fear not, this lightweight gel cream prevents redness by strengthening the skins protective barrier.

50 Grades of Shea- Part 4

Slip into something Shea we say! Here's 10 more to make your day!

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse

 Fun fact: 98.1% of this oil is natural.

Bliss Vanilla+Bergamot Body Buff

Renee Furterer Karite Conditioning Mask

Everyday Shea Vanilla Mint Shampoo

Badger Cuticle Care

Tarte Cosmetics Rest Assured

Clarins Eye Contour Balm

REN Grapeseed, Jojoba and Shea Body Cream

REN Grapeseed, Jojoba and Shea Body Cream 

Mama Mio boob tube bust & neck firmer

Mama Mio claims to increase the texture of your bust, chest and neck in one week.

Proasco Shave Foam

Chanel FNO exclusive: La Provocante Rouge Allure Velvet Reviewed

Swatches from Left to Right: La Delicate, L'Infidele and La Provocante

Last week Chanel launched their Fashion's Night Out exclusive lip and nail twin-sets, fit for the annual shopping occasion, to excited fan fare. I got in on the action by going to the Chanel boutique and checking out the action, but first I went to Saks as Chanel was not ready to unveil their new collection. At Saks I found out that La Provocante was all sold out due to pre-sales ( they had 20) and they also informed me Chanel.com was out too! But as luck would have it , the Chanel on 57th st and Madison had them ( this information was as of last Friday).  I swatched all three lippies on my hand and determined that La Provocante was the color for me.

La Provocante is an autumn plum with cool blue tones, more so than red. I love the Rouge Allure Velvet texture on my lips, is the perfect amount of moisture without your lips feeling lacquered but not chalky matte either. My only problem was that I find this lippie really hard to photograph in the tube because of the tonality.

The other stand out from this collection ( on the lip side) was L'Infidele. Its a beautiful everyday rosey plum that I think would look great on everyone.  Unfortunately, I really wanted to like La Delicate but I just couldn't. The color on the website was so off, I had perma "huh?" face.
First off, La Delicate is described as beige but the color on the website is a pumpkin-esqe color. The pumpkin color made me want to try it. I LOVE me some orange! However, the beige in the tube, while looks ok as a swatch, casts a grey ashy cast IRL. Super unfortunate.

So here I am with the one that I love for my fall wine lips, La Provocante!

La Provocante Rouge Allure Velvet swatch

Chanel's FNO exclusive Provocation Nail Color and La Provocante Lipstick

MAC for Azealia Banks- Yung Rapunxel

Yung Rapunxel

Yung Rapunxel Swatch

 MAC Cosmetics introduced its latest  lipstick collaboration with rapper/singer Azealia Banks this past week.
Yung Rapunxel is described as " a deep, rich shade of plum with an Amplified finish". I've never experienced the MAC Amplified formula before and with this color, it reminds me of a sheer finish.
I used two applications when swatching and the coverage is nice. I didn't test how long the wear was but so far, I'm pleased.
I can see myself wearing Yung Rapunxel in my day-to-day, probably pairing it with an orange or apricot blush. The color reminds me of the 90's! The Missy Elliot, Total, SWV , Mary J. Blige 90's where the ladies wore the rich colored lipstick through Hype Williams' fisheye lens or through an epic music video. I'm ready to get nostalgic!

FNO 2012: From Soho to NYFW and back

MAC SOHO preparing for Azealia Banks!

Fashion's Night Out 2012 started with a quiet rumble and ended with a relaxing good time in downtown Manhattan. I totally looped it!.. you'll see.
I started my afternoon off at 2pm by going to the MAC Soho store to see if they had Yung Rapunxel on hand, and they did! So I picked up my deep sheer violet berry packed lippie ( despite it being Amplified) and made my way uptown to Lincoln Center because I had a ticket to the Supima Competition Runway Show!

Rachel Zoe and the President of Supima

Supima awarded one design student with $10,000 to start their own line. Pratt Institute graduate Kate Wilkoff impressed the judges with her deconstructed nature collection.

Kate Wilcoff's work

After the show I made my way to Dior, and was sadly disappointed then made my way to Saks for the FNO exclusives! They had sold out of La Provocante!! the most coveted plum lippie this fall but they had the rest of the collection, here is a shot of the nail colors.

Chanel's FNO Exclusive Nail colors!

I did manage to get the Provocation and La Provocante twin-set at the Chanel on 57th street, I'll post swatches soon. Next I was onto Bottega Venetta where I learned about their exclusive eco-friendly sustainable handbag that debuted for FNO.

Then onto Ted Baker for Fish and Chips and other English fancies!

Finally met up with the Ladies and we were off to Saks to check out the Suno Manicures and then Henri Bendels to chat and have cocktails, we ran into the ladies of Idiosyncratic Fashionistas and chatted them up about the Tavi and Ari Cohen event we attended last year.

Leizel and Tiel!

I ran into the wonderful ladies of Idiosyncratic Fashionistas!

Post Henri Bendels, we were hungray! so we headed to the Opening Ceremony/ Ace Hotel party celebrating South Korea. We watched some bad ass karaoke, stalked Grizzly Bear and stalked the people who had the trays of South Korean cuisine! Norebang!

By this time, its 11pm and everyone was out and about on the street as we got ready to leave the Ace Hotel. Our final stop of the night was the Soho Grand where we sang 90's jams and debriefed on FNO 2012.
Next year, if there is an FNO, I think I'm sticking to 2-3 spots. The lines are ridic! Celebrities don't draw people in, fun things do! Things that engage people. I was all over town for the first time since FNO 2010, it was fun, I'm glad I wore comfortable shoes.

How was your FNO experience?

Fashion's Night Out 2012

Tonight is Fashion's Night Out in NYC! I'll be out and about but will share my experience with you this weekend. If you can't wait til then, you can catch me on Twitter or Instagram @Lavande_G!

50 Grades of Shea- part 3

Now on to part 3. We have treats from Greece, something for you and your pooch to share and some fun drugstore finds!

Korres Lip Butter

After researching this piece I revisited my Korres Lip Butter in Plum this week. Lip Butter is the perfect name for this lightly tinted piece because its smooth, the color lasts for 2-3 hours and its not sticky.

Kiehls Crème de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Body Polish

Kiehls Crème de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Body Polish

Suave Professionals Almond and Shea Shampoo and Conditioner

Suave Professionals Almond and Shea Shampoo and Conditioner

The Body Shop Jumbo Satsuma Body Butter

The Body Shop Jumbo Satsuma Body Butter

The Body Shop Jumbo Satsuma Body butter is made with Community Fair Trade Shea butter! Fair trade is great for all!

Covergirl Natureluxe Gloss Balm

Ilia Multi-Stick in Cheek To Cheek

Caudalie Vinosource Intense Moisture Rescue Cream

Bliss Fabulips Foaming Cleanser

"Shea butter and rice bran extract gently cleanses lips, lifting away impurities like food residue and makeup. " Sign me up!

Aveda green science firming face cream

Aveda's green science firming face cream has a blend of anti-oxidants, murumuru seed butter and organic shea butter to help revitalize skin.

Bungalow Woof Citrus Wipeout

Yes, for you and your pooch!

Goodbye Summer!

My Summer intern style

This week I was featured on Refinery 29's Intern perfect outfits! I was super excited to show my quirky with my Ebay (Balenciaga shirt and Marc Jacobs skirt) and Loehmann's (Givenchy heels) finds.The clutch is from Forever 21 and the necklace is from H&M (I forgot to tell the editor :S).

Next week, I begin as a second year in my MBA program. I'm currently trying to hold on to the summer warmth but I can definitely start to feel the breeze. Gotta make the most of the Labor day weekend and catch up on Degrassi High ( yes, the oldschool one).

P.S, I'm wearing Chanel's Audace Rouge Allure, Its a nice red with a hint of orange.

50 Grades of Shea - part 2

Hello there, In part 2 of the 50 Grades of Shea, we will learn that Karité is another word for Shea.

Here are another 10 favorites as we continue on in our series.. If you are looking for 50 Shades of Grey cosmetics.. sorry, its not here. But what we can offer are a slew of moisturizing body, hair, skin and beauty products to usher you into fall. Here we go!

Deborah Lippmann Rich Girl

Tokyo Milk Rose Shea Butter Soap

Cantu Shea Butter Leave in Conditioning Repair Cream

Kiss My Face Hot Spots SPF 30

Philip B African Shea Butter Shampoo

Sephora Collection Nano Eyeliner

Dr. Hauschka Quince Day Cream

If you have sensitive skin, fear not! Dr. Hauschka does a great job at soothing even the most irritable skin.

**Dr. Woods Pure Black Soap with Organic Shea Butter

Dare I say this is a Brooklyn favorite? Many of my friends seem to have this little-goes-a-long-way liquid soap. Plus, it seems like Black Soap is having a moment, cleansing without stripping natural oils. Dr. Woods just so happens to have the best of both gentle cleansing and the right amount of shea moisture

 Soap & Glory Hand Food Hand Cream

**Rene Furterer Karité

RF's Karité (Shea) is a wonderful line! I was saddened with Sephora decided to discontinue it in stores but the nourishment lives on.. on-line! Though you don't get to instantly touch the creamy-yet-light goodness in your hands. Take my word for it, its worth the UPS and USPS stalking to get your package.