Valentine's Day Gift Guide for Yourself

1. Dolce & Gabbana iPhone 4 Case, $275
2. YSL Eyeliner Pen, $32
3. Girls Season 1 DVD, $22
4. Kiss Pillow, $110

5. Karl Lagerfeld Champagne Flute Set, $300
6. VPL Bra, $95
7. Breville Juicer, $99
8. Rubber Rings with Diamond, $190
9. Glass Heart Bottle, $32

Valentine's Day Gift Guide for Him

1. Loro Piana Sweater, £430
2. Big Jambox, $300
3. Turnbull & Asser Silk Pocket Square, £50
4. Nike FuelBand, £129
5. Toms Beachmaster Sunglasses, $119
6. iPad Mini, $329
7. Smythson crocodile wallet, £950
8. Jack Black The Core Collection, $52
9. Brioni Embroidered Woven-Silk Tie, £150

Valentine's Day Gift Guide for Her

1. Equipment Pajama Set, $388
2. Ode a la Rose Monthly Flower Delivery Service (4-12 months), $360-$995
3. Proenza Schouler PS11 Continental Wallet Mirror, $765
4. YSL Iridescent Heart Necklace, $1,255
5. Teddy Bear Sculpture, $300
6. Fresh Hesperides Jubilee Set, $45
7. Vosges Noir Truffle Heart Collection, $48

Fresh Sake Bath

I have been using Fresh products for years (mentioning the wonders it has done for my hair here) and am so excited to share my newest Fresh product obsession: Sake Bath.  The soak eases body tensions and detoxifies while the scent calms - achieving all the perfect elements of a hot bath.  Fresh is known for using natural ingredients in its products such as sugar, milk, soy and rice.  And did you know the company is part of the LVMH group?   Find it here and let me know how it worked for you.


Photo credit:  Fresh

Luxury 360 - The fun of Beauty Part 2

In my last post: LUXURY 360 - THE FUN OF BEAUTY PART 1, I showcased the "fun-ness" of Chanel's Color Creativity video and the reasons luxury brands are instilling more creativity into beauty from a branding and sales perspective.  

Today I want to share a really interesting except from the L2 Think Tank Digital IQ Index supplement, "Beauty in China" to further illustrate the reason beauty is a key focus and growth area for luxury brands:

• Young women in China currently spend 10-15% of annual income on beauty products
• Trading up; the prestige beauty segment is outpacing the mass category in terms of growth
• China is the largest online beauty market in the world with 17% of beauty bought online (compared to 4-6% in 'mature' markets) 

What trends are you seeing in the luxury beauty market?

Luxury 360 - The fun of Beauty Part 1

I swear the beauty industry keeps getting more interesting.  Take these still shots above from the Color Creativity video featured on Chanel's beauty webpage here.  The reinterpretation of the iconic design of Chanel beauty products is...well, fun!  

It makes sense that Chanel and other luxury brands are similarly increasing their point-of-view (and often investment) in beauty to entice consumers in new and innovative ways:

• Beauty can be a huge revenue generator to brands (as it is for Chanel and Dior) and has higher margins than fashion. 
• Beauty as entry-level priced products allows everyone to become part of a luxury brand's often aspirational world.
• Once a consumer has been introduced to a luxury brand through beauty, a brand can then cross and up-sell to higher price point items.  
• Apart from fragrance, which is a highly fragmented market with low brand loyalty, make up and skincare are high on brand loyalty.  Think about it.  Once you find a concealer, blush or even a mascara that works for you, you repeat buy.       

So much more to say on this topic but I thought I would split it into two posts.  More beauty insights to come in the next post, LUXURY 360 - THE FUN OF BEAUTY PART 2.

Guest Blogger: Mindy Erazo's Blogger Crush

Hello Mouthful of Style readers, Mindy here from Mindy Erazo curating a guest post about one of my Blogger Crushes!

May I introduce you to the beautiful Andy Heart, a fashion and style blogger whom I have been following for about a year now. Her and I have very similar taste which is why I just love her blog. Her style is very chic, incorporating simple pieces with statement pieces all with a masculine edge while still keeping her femininity. Seems like a difficult thing to do but Miss Heart achieves it so effortlessly its brilliant.

Her color palette doesn't have the widest range but something about tone on tone and all black outfits doesn't bother me whatsoever, I mean, half my closet is black so I'm not one to judge! She's great at mixing designer pieces with more affordable ones which I love.

C'est trés chic, no?

Miss Heart's blog is filled with not only amazing outfit posts but she also includes many product reviews. I've bought quite a few products from her recommendations and none have disappointed. If that doesn't have you searching for her blog yet, she ALSO has some fun beauty tips and tricks like this great one for an edgy, yet sophisticated nail.

Huge fan of hers and I hope I've inspired you to check out her blog here.

Thank you so much to Mouthful of Style for asking me to do this guest blog. I had a lot of fun and I hope you all enjoyed my Blogger Crush!

Mindy Erazo


Photo credit: Andy Heart

Holiday wish listing

1. Proenza Schouler PS11 mini classic leather
2. Diptyque Amber Oud scented Christmas candle
3. Falling Whistles for Peace in Congo
4. Bea Valdes Outrider clutch bag
5. Frida Gustavsson Vogue Germany fashion illustration print
6. Isabel Marant Hippo embellished quilted cotton-twill jacket
7. Tom Ford Beauty nail lacquer set
8. Lady Grey Symtra bangle
9. Valentino studded patent-leather flats

Holiday gift guide wish list.  I am sure you have all overdosed on holiday gift guides by now.  So instead of creating my own gift guide, I am showing you what is on my holiday wish list to inspire you through this holiday shopping period.

Contouring Demystified...Finally

This is the best image I have ever seen regarding how to contour your face.  If you are like me I really had no idea how to do this.  I just kept hearing about it.  But since I have tried it with this image as a guide, it actually makes a huge difference to your makeup routine in a matter of minutes.

In order of application: The brown lines represent your bronzer, pink lines are blush and white lines and circles are highlighter.  I personally use Guerlain Terracotta bronzer in 02, Clinique blush in Breathless Berry and Tom Ford highlighter in Peach Blush (featured in my previous post Tom Ford Beauty).

Read full article here!

Tom Ford Beauty

I have discovered my new favorite makeup line - Tom Ford Beauty.
Above image from left to right:

• Cafe Rose Eau de Parfum
• Exotic Teal Eye Defining Pencil
• Midnight Eye Defining Pencil
• Emerald Lust Eye Color Quad
• Narcissist Cheek Color
• Peach Blush Illuminating Highlighter Pen
• Bordeaux Lust Nail Lacquer
• Minx Nail Lacquer
• Naivete Ultra Shine Lip Gloss

My personal trick: I line the outer corner to the middle of the upper eyelid with Exotic Teal Eye Defining Pencil and fully line the bottom eyelid with Midnight Eye Defining Pencil.  With a coat of mascara, this look will give you just enough of a pop of color but still remain subtle.

On another note, did you know Tom Ford Beauty is part of the Estee Lauder brands?  Very stylish indeed.

Brad and Chanel

The most important branding takeaway I learned from working in the luxury goods industry is the importance of showcasing one's heritage but innovating to stay current with the times.

Recently naming Brad Pitt as the first ever male face to the iconic Chanel No. 5 perfume is innovative.  The ad campaign not only appeals to women by having the stamp of approval from Brad, but also appeals to men as a gift for their significant others. See full ad campaign on Chanel's website. 

Chanel No. 5 is the iconic perfume of the fashion house and embodies it's rich history being the first perfume released in 1921.   And let's be honest here, if Brad likes it I like it! 

Photo credit: guardian.co.uk