Elegant Elite Blog

A beauty and style blog for elegant people about elite products.

Author: Anna

  • Sephora Lipstick Sample Bag


    I may have been doing some Instagramming, but I know I haven’t done a blog post in a long time, and I apologize. Anyway, as I was buying gifts for friends and family at Sephora (I will not be listing the gifts I bought for obvious reasons!) I used a coupon code for beauty insiders and spent some beauty reward points to get some sample packs for myself. There were tons of small samples in the Lipstick Sample Bag that I got with a coupon code for free! Two Clinique moisture surge face moisturizers, Fresh’s rose hydrating eye gel cream, Benefit’s the pore-fessional cream, Soap and Glory’s smoothie body buttercream, Ole Hendriksen’s pure truth youth activating oil, Dr. Jart+’s Beauty Balm, Smashbox’s photo finish makeup primer, Yu-Be’s moisturizing skin cream, Versace’s bright crystal perfume, and L’Occitane’s precious cream. That’s a lot of samples!!! Some of these I have used before and have mentioned previously, but I’m exited to try out the new products that I don’t already own. I also used my beauty reward points to get a L’Occitane 500 point reward pack that came with four deluxe samples and a cute pink cosmetic bag. The samples I got in the reward pack were Almond Firming and Softening Supple Skin Oil, Cleansing and Softening Shower Oil with Almond Oil, Immortelle Precious Cream, and Shea Butter Hand Cream. In addition to all those samples, whenever you purchase anything from Sephora.com, you get to choose three samples that come free. No code needed, and you don’t need to be a beauty insider. The three samples I chose where: Juicy Couture’s Viva La Juicy Noir perfume, Hanae Mori’s Butterfly perfume, and I also got a sample of The Art Of Shaving’s Perfect Shave Trio for my boyfriend.

  • Steam Facial

    Everyone enjoys a steamy hot shower, but did you know that steam can be used to detox and cleanse? Steam rooms have been around for centuries, and the ancient Greeks knew the benefits of detox sweating in a steam room. Steam facials and facials in general can get pretty expensive. That’s why I’ve actually never had a professional facial, so be mindful that I don’t have any experience to compare this to.

    Some people like to use the old “tried and true” method of heating up filtered water until its steaming, filling a large bowl with the steaming water, and then putting a towel over your head to collect the steam over your face. But I find that method to be not only primitive but also really really hot. Because a towel is made from thick material, and when the steam collects under it I tend to over heat very quickly. I can never get a good facial because I can’t stay under the towel for a long enough period of time.

    I prefer to use a Conair Facial Sauna System to steam my face. It has an open top area where the steam can escape so you don’t get too hot. I also like to use it when I have a severe sinus infection and I need to unclog my sinuses. It comes with a facial brush, but don’t get excited, it is an extremely underpowered device that does very little to clean your face.

    Simple Instructions for Face Steaming:

    1. Make sure that your Facial Sauna (or bowl) is clean and filled with filtered water. Impurities from your device may cause unwanted bacteria to collect on your face during your facial.
    2. This next step may seem obvious, but it’s important. Clean your face of all makeup and wash your face. Really make sure your face is free of all dirt and debris. Steam opens up your pores and if you do not clean your face beforehand the dirt can get seep deeper into your pores and create bigger problems.
    3. Now, steam your face for 5-7 minutes. Make sure the steam is comfortable and not too hot on your face, you don’t want to burn yourself! Don’t over do it because you are going to steam your face again.
    4. Next, use a gentle exfoliator to really clean deep into your pores. I recommend Kate Somerville’s Gentle Exfoliating Treatment. You can use a gentle massaging motion, but that is not highly recommended for highly acne-prone skin. But remember, over exfoliation is extremely damaging to your skin! If you are scared of over exfoliating, then you might want to consider using a mud mask during this step. Don’t forget to use a mud mask that removes dirt and oil and detoxifies your face. I recommend Boscia’s Luminizing Black Mask.
    5. After exfoliating, steam your face again for 3-5 minutes to make sure all the dirt has come out of your pores.
    6. Then, wash your face with lukewarm or ideal cool water. This temperature change from hot to cold will seal your pores and prevent dirt from reentering after your facial.
    7. Finally, make sure to use an oil free moisturizer on your face. The purpose of an exfoliator is to remove dirt and dead skin from your face. When you do that, you leave your skin stripped of essential oils and you must use a moisturizer after every exfoliation.

  • Festival Makeup

    First off, I have to say that I am extremely apologetic for my long hiatus in blogging. I have been working on this huge project for my job called Photoville, which is a photo festival in Brooklyn that turns shipping containers into photography galleries. But this post is not about Photoville (even though its an awesome even and you should go next year!), this post is about the products I used during Photoville to keep myself looking fresh and feeling clean. These are the products I would recommend for anyone attending an outdoor festival or possibly traveling during the summer.

    Photoville is an outdoor event with some pretty warm days, and then include running around like crazy therefore I ended up sweating a little bit. It’s inevitable, just accept it and deal with it and move on. I like to use body wipes during the day to wipe sweat off and keep my clothes from smelling. I prefer to use Ban Cooling Cloths because they have a nice cooling sensation that is relieving during very hot weather and they have a nice scent. However, they don’t come in nice travel-sized individual packets so I sometimes use Crystal Body Deodorant Towelettes, Solos.

    I know everyone tries not to wear making up those really hot and sweaty events, like a music festival. But come on girls, we all do a little bit! When it’s hot out, I like to use Murad Skin Clearing Concealer. It helps keep my skin clear if I do end up sweating with makeup on. I also try to use lighter makeup, like Becca Blotting Powder Perfecter. It’s a lite, oil free, blotting powder that has shear coverage that you can reapply throughout the day if needed.

  • LORAC Twitter Prizes!

    After retweeting a LORAC Cosmetics tweet on July 25, I received a message from LORAC saying that I was their twitter winner! After emailing them my skin tone preferences and mailing address, I received a FREE Pro Brow Pencil and Double Feature Concealer / Highlighter! OMG! My parents went away for two weeks and they are the only ones who have the mail key so it took me forever to finally get the package, but I got them!

  • Jazz Age Lawn Party

    On Saturday, I went to the Jazz Age Lawn Party at Governors Island! Its a unique gathering of people where they have an orchestra playing great 1920s jazz and everyone is dressed like its the 20s. You picnic on the lawn, you can bring your own food but there are food vendors there, and enjoy the great atmosphere. Yes you can buy drinks, but you can’t bring any alcohol in. Although, I’ve heard of many people “bootlegging” (not us I swear! *wink*).

    I bought my dress from BlueFly, and wore multiple layers of pearls and wore my mom’s antique jewelery. I tried really hard to do a finger wave in my hair and then pin it up somehow, but the finger wave ended up looking like 80s crimping and my hair was falling out everywhere so I just decided to leave it down. I was very disappointed that I couldn’t do my hair, because most women there were dressed on point! I honestly should have just put a scarf or something around my head.

    If you plan on going next year my suggestions to you are:

    1. Bring a good blanket. Maybe even a chair. Your picnicking and its basically camping.
    2. Bring lots of food and water. The food is sorta expensive there and yes it gets hot so bring lots of water with you. Especially if you plan on drinking.
    3. Do not wear heals! Its a very grassy and sandy area, you will end up ruining them or falling.
    4. If you wear a skirt or dress, think about how you are going to sit. Sitting cross-legged in a dress is sorta flashing people, and when I was sitting on my feet they kept falling asleep on me and it was pretty uncomfortable after a while. I’m not too sure how to solve this problem yet, so I can’t offer any advice…sorry. I just ended up using my sweater to cover my lady parts, but that’s not very classy.

     

     

     

  • Sephora VIB Rouge Event

    I just got back from Sephora’s exclusive VIB Rouge event! I went to the store on 99th and Columbus because it’s closest to my apartment on the Upper West Side. I didn’t expect it to be as packed as it was because the event was at 9 – 11 am on a Sunday. However, they did provide you with food and coffee at the event, which was very considerate.

    At the VIB Rouge event, because I spent over $35 on full priced items, I got a VIB Rouge sample pack with cosmetic bag and small rouge shopping tote. The samples that came with the bag are an Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm, a Benefit Watts Up Highlighter, a Buxom Mascara, an Escada Born in Paradise Perfume, a Dr. Jart+ BB Dis-A-Pore Beauty Balm, a Laura Mercier Foundation Primer, a Living Proof Perfect Hair Day, and a Make Up For Ever High Definition Blush in Coral. Additionally, because I renewed my VIB Rouge subscription for 2015 I received a Formula X Nail Polish in a special Rouge color.

    I did try out the Pantone Color IQ system at the store. It’s a really cool expensive device that does absolutely nothing. I wish it worked! It’s such a cool device and I really wanted it to work! However, it registered a much darker color that my face actually is. The poor Sephora artist was going back and forth trying to make me happy to find a foundation recommended by the computer that would work. The scanner recommended Bare Minerals BareSkin Foundation in Bare Cream 05. However, that was way too dark, and so was Bare Ivory 04. Then Bare Linen 03 was too yellow. They didn’t have any of the other lighter colors in store, so I decided not to purchase any foundation, sad.

  • Benefit’s They’re Real! Push-Up Liner.

    Today I’m giving my dedicated readers a tutorial on how to use Benefit’s new They’re Real! Push-Up Liner. This liner is one of the newest additions to Benefit’s wonderful cosmetic line.

    This liner is hands-down the easiest eyeliner liner I’ve ever used! This unique liner is a creamy liner that you twist at the bottom to push more up into the applicator. The applicator tip is shaped in a way that makes it so easy to make a perfect cat eye line.

    I take the thin part of the liner to the outside part of my eyelid, and just draw a line toward my pupil. All you need is a couple of light, strategically placed, strokes and you’ve got a distinct cat eye line. If you want a thicker look, all you need to do is place the brush flatter on your eyelid, press firmer and you can create a dramatic look.

    I still use pencil eyeliner for the inside of my lid. However, I will never use another liquid eyeliner again!

  • Hair Cut & Color at Mingle Salon

    Mingle is a salon on East 55th street in New York city. Brian is my hairdresser and I have been going to see him for years now. He does the best highlights! The way Brain does highlights takes a long time, but the results are absolutely stunning. He takes small groups of hair and applies the highlighter cream individually throughout your head. This creates uneven texture that is a more natural look rather than applying highlighter evenly throughout your hair. I really love the results every time!

    Apologies for the poor quality photos. I did most of this post from my new iPhone 5S.

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