Fabulous Over Forty – Where Beauty Is Ageless

As I’m sure you’ve already heard, Burberry has added a cosmetic line to their long standing clothing and accessory lines.   I have been greatly anticipating its arrival, said to have been available mid-July.   Then I saw in print it was going to be available mid-June (wasn’t true).   It’s only available in 5 Nordstrom stores and the closest one to me in the midwest is the Michigan Avenue store in Chicago.   It was available online starting in July, but the store release date was pushed back to early August.   I’ve heard a variety of dates – August 2, August 4, August 16th – so we’ll have to wait and see which date it actually goes “live” in the few stores. 

But I’m guessing as this became available online it was a bigger hit than anticipated because the pieces I ordered July 14th trickled in to my home from 4 different shipments.  First being told all would ship the 16th, and then 10 days later being told it wouldn’t ship until sometime in August, but I ended up getting the pieces I ordered before August.   Hmmm – miscommunication problems?  

Since I knew it was going to be in the Michigan Ave store I called to talk to someone about the line.   Julianna was very helpful, as I can be skeptical about colors shown online not being true to form.   I explained my coloring and I told her what I was interested in and wanted help describing some of the colors. The “Warm Glow” Bronzer was a piece I was interested in as well as the glosses, lipsticks and eye shadows.    She suggested with my skin coloring that the Bronzer in Warm Glow #1 would be right for my skintone, the shadows Gold Trench and Taupe Brown were recommended as well.  I wanted to try the gloss in #4 Blush and also a lip color and gloss that would give me a tad richer than a nude-pinkish brown lip.  It was decided on #4 Rosewood lipstick and #5 Tea Rose gloss. 

As you can see from above images the packaging is beautiful and classy.  The box has the Burberry logo and the eye shadows and bronzer are wrapped in the felt fabric pouch with the Burberry pattern imprint.   The actual compact is heavy with the Burberry plaid pattern as well and when you open up the product, that too has the pattern cut out on the product.   Shown above is the Bronzer in Warm Glow #1.   I do really, really like the color and soft warm tone it gives my skin.  Not super-bronzy, but a nice warmth.   It is heavily fragranced though.   I was surprised by how much fragrance it had.   Once it is on my face I no longer could smell it, nor did it irritate my skin, but I could imagine with some people that would be bothersome.  

Above, this eye shadow shade is Gold Trench.   Described to me as the classic Burberry trench coat color with a hint of gold, and that really is right on target for a description and it’s sheer with an ever-so-slight hint of shimmer. This is a wonderful, multi-use shade.   I’ve worn it alone with some eyeliner and mascara and with other shades for building more color.  

This is Brown Taupe shadow.   It’s a deep taupe with some brown, almost mud color.   I really like it as well.  This is great in the crease of my eye used with a fluffy brush to get soft definition or on my lid for a darker more intense look.  This shadow is matte and goes on beautifully.   I did not detect any fragrance in the eye shadows.   I am very pleased with these products above, except for the fact that this shade was shipped in a padded envelope and the lid arrived broken. 

On to the lipstick.   This is shade #1 Nude Beige.  But wait!  Do you recall I told you I ordered #4 Rosewood?  Yes, but I received #1 Nude Beige.  It’s not a shade I would have EVER picked.   It was way too light in the online color and in person as well. But I thought I’d give it a try.  Well, it was worth a good laugh!   It has almost  a silvery shimmer to it, so not only does the color look bad on my skin, the odd shimmer tone makes me look dead.   Yep, like I’ve been put in the freezer for a month and my lips are that grey/silvery dead color. It might work if I was trying out for a part on CSI as a corpse.   Needless to say, I was really disappointed in not getting the right shade, but I do love the creamy texture of the lipstick.   I know Best Things in Beauty didn’t like the fragrance, but to me there was barely any fragrance detected.   Everyone has their own sensitivities and likes/dislikes and this didn’t bother me.   She also felt she was shipped the wrong color in the lipstick.   I see #1 shade is sold out online at Nordstorm for now  - maybe because they were shipping everyone that color whether they ordered it or not!

And last but not least are the two lipglosses I ordered.   Again, I really like the glosses.   Shown on top is #4 Blush, but on the bottom is # 2 Heather – which again, I swear I did not order.   I thought I ordered #5 Tea Rose.   #2 is sold out on Nordstrom as well – so it only strengthens my theory that they were shipping #1 lipstick and #2 gloss to everyone by mistake????  Just kidding.

I love the #4 Blush shade and it can be worn alone with a soft hint of pink glow to the lips.  #2 is OK, a bit deeper brown than my natural lip, and again, definitely not a shade I would have picked out but it certainly is wearable.  I think it’s growing on me.  

Overall the quality of the product is beautiful and I would put it right up there next to other high end lines like Giorgio Armani, Dior and Chanel.   However, I was extremely disappointed in the disorganization of whether the products are available, will they ship, and then getting the wrong product when it actually shipped.   I hope they get the kinks worked out quickly, because mistakes like that can only turn customers off.   I probably will return the lipstick, just because I know I will never wear it ever, and for that price it needs to be corrected.   That’s the good thing about this happening with Nordstrom – the return will be accepted without any hassles, and Julianna was the best!

I picked up some of my pre-ordered beauty buys at Nordstrom earlier this week.   They are pieces I purchased that are specially priced and packaged just for Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale that begins today.    This is the Dior Fall Ready to Wear Palette.    I think it is so versatile and wearable for many skin tones, one of those palettes that you would wear on many occasions.

This palette includes a blush (top left) a bronzer trio (top right) four neutral eye shadows (middle row) and two lip colors.  To get an idea about the size of the colors in the palette, the blush and bronzer are about 1″ high and a tiny bit wider for each one.  Smallish, but still workable.    I will never use the powder brush that is included or the sponge applicator – just not a fan of either one.   The lip brush I will use though.

This is a classy, easy to take with you anywhere palette in a tortoise style case, very Dior classy.   The images above are very true to the colors in the palette.  The blush is a warm light brown rose tone and the bronzer is probably a little deeper in tones than what it is coming across in the photo. Both have just the slightest of shimmer.  For the bronzer a milk chocolate shade on the left, a medium tan in the middle strip and a medium bronzer on the far right.  I actually swatched these on my arm, but when I downloaded the photos on the site they looked really “muddy” so I decided it best not to include them as it was not a good representation. 

The eye shadows all have the slightest bit of shimmer, more like a satin finish rather than matte or shimmer.    The left shadow is a good basic cream base, the 2nd shadow is a peachy/rose shade, the 3rd shadow is a golden yellow shade and the last shadow is a taupe brown shade.   A variety of combinations can be used to create different looks.   Using a fluffy brush, these are all pretty sheer shades. 

The lip glosses are your typical wonderful Dior glosses, creamy and non-tacky.   The one on the left actually went on a little more brown than I had anticipated.   I thought it looked more like a rosy/brown lip shade that would be pretty close to my natural lip color.  I was wrong, it came across with more brown in it than rose on my lips.   The gloss on the right is a great shade to top on a darker gloss or lipstick for a dimensional look.  It may be too whiteish/silver to wear alone, depending on your natural lip tone.

It must have been a hot seller on pre-order online because I no longer see it available. (Just checked this morning and it’s back online)   But if you’re interested in purchasing, ($54) try Gena at Nordstrom Dior counter at 952-883-2121. 

It’s nearing that time of year again, Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.   And do you know what that means?   Super buys on beauty!  Again, there are some incredible deals of pre-packaged sets or large sizes with a special price, and the beauty companies pull out all the stops for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.    This year they are doing it so much smarter than in the past.   It used to be that you could pre-order what you wanted to purchase and then wait till the sale and pick it up.   But, if you were one of the unlucky ones and didn’t pre-order, your chances of getting the goods when the sale day started were very slim to none.   Now you can go in store or online and pre-order and it is shipped to you from their warehouse, even before the sale actually starts on July 16th.   Or if you can’t seem to get it together before that, you can go into the store and the stores will have good stock.  I wouldn’t wait too long though – no guarantees!

Here are a few of my favorites of the many, many wonderful deals to choose from.  Be sure to check online for more specials available.   Decisions, decisions…

This Dior deluxe palette is so much more gorgeous in person than how it looks here.   It includes a soft pink blush, a three tone bronzer,  four beautiful eye shadows, two lip glosses and a mini brush.    $54.00   There’s a Dior Addict Ultra Gloss lip gloss that’s exclusive too.  Fabulous!

Trish McEvoy always has wonderful value sets and this is no exception.  The “Must Have” collection for eyes is a $175 value for $85   It includes an “emergency card” which is credit card sized palette of 8 eye shadows, a dual ended makeup brush, a travel sized Eye Base Essential in Bare,  Instant Eye Lift, travel size Lash Enhancer, travel size Mascara, all in a mesh pouch to fit in your petite size planner. 

Giorgio Armani make beautiful brushes.  In this set you get a mini blush brush, a mini blender brush (I use the blender brush every single day) a mini eye shader brush and a mini eye contour brush all in a travel pouch.     These aren’t tiny mini brushes either, they are really nicely sized ones.  Individually these would sell for $167 and are being sold for $75.

This Bobbi Brown set is incredibly priced!   The products are all full-sized and would sell for $139 if purchased separately.   They’re selling the set for $75!   This Chocolate and Navy set includes a 5 pan eyeshadow palette including a new navy shade, an Everything mascara, Long Wear Gel Eyeliner in Caviar Ink along with an ultra fine liner brush, a Brownie shade lipstick and Pink Blossom lip gloss.   

Not to be outdone, Lancome has this Hypnose lash set for $42, valued at $99.  It includes Hypnose mascara in full size, a full sized Ink Artliner in Brun Elegance, a full sized Cils Booster XL, BiFacil makeup remover and a smudge brush #1 in a satin pouch.

Jo Malone fragrance sets are always divine and of course this one is no exception either.   This is a $135 value for $85 and you get an Orange Blossom Cologne (I wear this a lot), Grapefruit scented travel candle, Lime Basil and Mandarin Bath Oil and Pomegranate Noir Body Creme.  I’m in fragrance heaven already.

For the botanical skin care lover, Chantecaille has this set for you.  A $209 value for $135.  You get a Pure Rosewater, a Rice and Geranium Foaming Cleanser and a Vital Essence all in this pink drawstring nylon bag.    

And last, but certainly not least in my list of favorites is this Laura Mercier Portable Beauty Set for $65 with nearly $100 savings off the $164 value.  The set includes a split pan eye shadow duo, a dual ended brush, a split pan cheek color duo, a dual ended Lip Glace along with a mascara in this cosmetic bag. 

Deals this good only come around once a year, so be sure to check out all of them.  I’m sure I missed some that might be your favorites.  If you want to talk with a sales associate if you don’t have a Nordstrom near you, call 952-883-2121 and tell them Fab Over 40 sent you.  They’ll be great at assisting you in what you need.

This Saturday (yes, I know it’s a holiday and most of you are out of town, but call your Nordstrom Beauty Guru now to reserve) buy two mascaras and get a third one FREE.    That’s a huge savings!  They must all three be from the same brand, but can be different types within the brand.  Above is just a sampling of mascara brands available.

Clinique has their GWP going on now.    Purchase only $25 in Clinique beauty and get this incredible Trina Turk designed bag (THE best looking bag I’ve seen in a giveaway, hands down!) along with 7 beauty must-haves for summer.  This GWP is definitely not one you want to miss – I mean, look at the Peony tri-shade blush – lovely!  And the sunscreen on a key chain – no excuse to be forgetting your sunscreen now!   Must have!

And for all you lucky MN residents here are some extra events going on at the Nordstrom MOA – call 952-883-2121 to book your appointment.

June 3 – 5 Clarins has their Red Carpet event.    Come in and get a facial and then have your makeup done.   Event runs 10-6 during those days.

June 24-26 is Designer Preview event with national makeup artists here to make you summer-fabulous!   June 24th is Armani, June 25th is Dior and June 26th is Chanel.   Book your appointment today!  

Summerize Your Skin event is on June 26th as well.  There is a gift with $100 purchase and each department will have specials and goodies with purchases.   Be sure to check out the new Kate Somerville skin care line and Jo Malone now at the store!  

And coming up in July the Anniversay Specials. Stay tuned for more info on this.

Images:  Nordstrom

Bloomingdales is having a “private” sale April 20-22 and Beauty Benefits this week too.  In the beauty department they have classes going on called Beauty 101 on April 20-22.   Learn about color, skin care, fragrance and get a cheat sheet on spring’s must-haves and take home samples too.  It’s only $20 and you’ll get a”diploma” and priceless beauty knowledge.   Check your local Bloomingdales for information.

Bergdorf Goodman has their “gift card event” going on now, April 18-25th.   Spend $100 and get $25 off,  or save $50 on $500, or $75 on $750 and so on.  This is good in beauty department as well.  Since there isn’t a Bergdorf near me, I call Catinca at 212-872-2741 at the Estee Lauder counter, but she can help with anything you may need at any counter.

Saks has their Friends & Family starting this week too.   It runs April 22 – 24th you are able to take 10% off beauty products.   If you’re like me and don’t have a Saks nearby, Best Things in Beauty suggests calling Loyd Cassler at the Chevy Chase Maryland Saks at (240) 497-5206.

Look too for gift with purchase at these stores and others.  Nordstrom has a great Estee Lauder one going on now.  Perfect when thinking of something for Mother’s Day coming up.

It’s worth taking a trip to your local Nordstrom and pick up a few beauty goodies from now till the 21st.   It’s Triple Reward Points on purchases with your Nordstrom credit card or MOD debit card.  What that means is that those who use either of these cards when making purchases, instead of getting 2 points for every dollar spent you get 6 points!   That’s huge!

Right now at Nordstrom the Lancome gift with purchase is going on too and you get to choose 6 items out of the 11 offering.   Which includes samples of the incredible Absolue Precious Cells!   Amazing!    And it’s a cute bag to boot. 

Be sure to check out the other beauty lines there because some of them have great specials going on too – like Giorgio Armani Beauty and I’m sure others (I just didn’t have time to check all the lines out – sorry!)

But for those of you living in the MN area – some exciting news at Nordstrom – they now carry Kate Somerville!    FINALLY someone on MN has the line – I’m beyond excited!    And they also have Chantecaille – such a beautiful, luxurious line too.  I’ll tell  you more about Chantecaille at a later date, but Nordstrom is becoming a definite one-stop beauty place, especially for those of us in MN! 

Keep a lookout for the Beauty on Location Spring Trends at your local Nordstrom – the one in MN is having theirs April 16-17 and most beauty lines have a GWP.  Get the hottest news on summer beauty trends and looks. 

Macy’s is winding down on the Estee Lauder GWP event.   With a $29.50 purchase you can get this set and choose either warm or cool tones for the makeup and you get to choose your own cleanser/moisturizer combo.  

Elizabeth Arden is also having a 100 year anniversary special.   Get a great train case filled with beauty goodies for only $39.50 with any $35 purchase.  Some of the beauty includes 30 of the Ceramide Gold Caps – that alone is a great deal.

And at Saks, a little birdie told me in April Tom Ford will have a makeup line available exclusively with Saks!   I can’t wait to see that – remember his guest makeup line he did with Estee Lauder about 5 years ago?  It sold out in mere minutes!  It was beautiful – the best guest designer they’ve had so far.   But this is his own makeup line, not in association with any company.    Stay tuned!

At Neiman Marcus, this cute as can be tote is only $25 with the goodies inside, with any purchase in Clinique.   So you can spend $10 or $100 and this tote is still the same price.  Nice deal.

That’s it for this week on Department Store Beauty!   Happy shopping!