July 2012

I am completely obsessed with 2 things at the moment – natural products and anything made of Rose. So when I spotted the Aesop Damascan Rose Facial Treatment it was like a match made-in-heaven for me. I have tons of skincare products to go through, but it only took me a split second to decide I had to have this one..right now! Especially since the cold weather in Australia is taking a toll on my skin.

Aesop-Damascan-Rose-Facial-Treatment-review

Aesop is a well known natural brand in Australia. I would say it has the same cult status as Jurlique, but with a less commercial branding. I really like the display of their concept store which looks like a science lab to me, and I love their low key but thoughtful packaging. All of their products are housed in a tinted brown glass bottle which helps to preserve the freshness of their plant-based ingredients.

Aesop signature store in Melbourne Australia

aesop_store_fr_rue_saint_honoreAesop signature store at Rue Saint Honore in Paris

The Aesop Damascan Rose Facial Treatment is packed with good oils including Rosa Damascena oil, Neroli oil and Violet leaf oil. These ingredients are infused with vitamin A, E and C, and are excellent for skin that is in need of intense hydration. The selling point for me is the Damascan Rose. Anyone who is into aromatherapy would know that Damascan Roses are the world’s most premium roses, and they are known for their healing properties for skin. The direction of use is as follows:

Massage five drops onto clean skin, twice weekly.

I use it differently:

My home has heaters on 24/7 and it is drying my skin out badly, so I use this treatment oil every night but with only 2 drops per application. The way I use it is that I spray my palm with La Roche-Posay Eau Thermale (any thermal spring water would do). Then I add 2 drops of the oil, and warm it up between my palms. The mist acts like an “activator” so it instantly emulsifies the oil, and turns it into an elixir-like texture which feels much lighter than the original texture. While it is still warm, I pat it onto my face and my neck. The oil is absorbed into my skin immediately without leaving any residue. My skin feels nourished, softer, and soothed because of the lovely rose scent.  I then put on a light moisturizer (or you can skip if the skin is not overly dry) and go to bed. The next morning I wake up with supple, moisturized and ultra radiant skin. I also noticed my makeup goes on beautifully.

If your skin is so dry that a regular moisturizer just doesn’t seem to help, you might want to give this a try! I am a firm believer in that good oils do wonders to the skin regardless of your skin type. I would have never thought about putting oils onto my skin, until I learnt how smart our skin actually is! Our skin responds to any external changes – for oily skin the more oil you try to take away the more oil your skin will produce as a natural defense. On the contrary, if you have very dry skin and you constantly put on layers of ultra rich creams, you are tricking the skin to think that it’s producing too much oil. As a result it will produce less oil. It was probably one of the most useful lessons I have learnt about skin, and over the years I treated my skin with the above in mind, and consequently my skin looks the best when it is in a state of fine balance between oil and water.

I bought the Aesop Damascan Rose Facial Treatment in Australia for $75. It is also available online here in the US, and Aesop has concept stores across the world.

Have you tried Aesop? If you have, please let me know your favorite products from the brand 🙂

 

 

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I have been literally living in this pair of jeans lately. They are by far my favorite Jean’s brand – J Brand. They have been consistently making great jeans that have a very good fit in super luxe fabric. The fit of 901 Legging Jeans is perfect for me – it’s skinny from top to bottom, and it’s stretchy without losing its shape. And it’s not the usual boring plain black denim (though I love them as well), they have a real leather appeal with a soft metallic finish. (not as shiny as on the website, but complex enough to have people wonder). If you have been tossing around the idea of having a pair of leather pants, I highly recommend you to start with this one!

zara-floral-blazer-j-brand-901-waxed-legging-jeans-1zara-floral-blazer-j-brand-901-waxed-legging-jeans-2Blazer: Zara Floral Blazer (similar ones on sale here or here)

Top: Witchery

Jeans: J Brand 901 Waxed Legging Jeans (bought here) – it’s hard to capture the metallic waxy finish with natural lighting at home, so please refer to the link for a better reference.

Belt: Hermes

Bangles: CC skye lyrics

Shoes: Black suede pumps by Wittner

 

 

 

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I did a review for the YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis à Lèvres Glossy Stain a long time ago, and this is a much belated post for the other shades (6 Camel Croisiere and 7 Corail Aquatique) that I said I would review. Out of the entire range, I think these are the easiest and most wearable shades to pull off for most complexions. Long time readers would know that I am all about “your-lips-but-better”!

ysl-rouge-pur-couture-glossy-stain-6-camel-croisiere-7-corail-aquatique

My thoughts for YSL Glossy Stain still stand, so please check out this post for a detailed review. Camel Croisiere (6) and Corail Aquatique (7) are very similar, and I could have only purchased one, but two is always better than one 😛

6 Camel Croisiere applies as a burnt orange color. My first thought was that it’s a very chic summery shade and would look very pretty with a bronzy makeup. Unfortunately it is freezing cold in Australia and I am at my palest, so I feel this color is a little too warm for my liking at the moment. I don’t feel I will get much use out of it until I start to get more tanned.

ysl-rouge-pur-couture-glossy-stain-6-camel-croisiere-swatchysl-rouge-pur-couture-glossy-stain-6-camel-croisiere-swatch-fotd

Compared to Camel Croisiere, 7 Corail Aquatique is a coral shade but with a stronger pink undertone. With one coat as a lip stain, it applies sheer and has just the right amount of color to enhance the natural color of my lips and leaving them look moist and glossy.  In my swatch picture below I applied two coats for more coverage, and it shows up as true pink coral that still looks natural and manages to brighten up my complexion.

ysl-rouge-pur-couture-glossy-stain-7-corail-aquatique-swatchysl-rouge-pur-couture-glossy-stain-7-corail-aquatique-swatch-fotd

Comparison

ysl-rouge-pur-couture-glossy-stain-6-camel-croisiere-7-corail-aquatique-swatchesysl-rouge-pur-couture-glossy-stain-6-camel-croisiere-7-corail-aquatique-swatches-1YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis à Lèvres Glossy Stain are available here or here in the US. It retails for AUD$50 each in Australia.

Bottom Line: Love Corail Aquatique! Camel Croisiere is a seasonal color to me, and can be a little tricky to pull off depending on the skin tone.


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