Gilt Groupe SF Warehouse Sale

For those of you who don't know Gilt Groupe had it's Gilt City Warehouse sale event at SF Fort Mason Fleet this last Saturday afternoon. Gilt Groupe is known for it's high scale brands at sale prices for us online shoppers. This rare in person shopping event was for those online shopping lovers, and the prices were even slashed a lot lower than their normal sale prices. Fun, fun, fun.

 If I learned anything today, it's if you want to get the good stuff come early! Tickets were sold out for the early bird slot (10am-12pm) so I had to settle for the 12pm-2pm shopping time. By then most things were picked over. :/ whomp whomp.

Buuuut I saw some cute things like this Valentino Red sweater dress. It's alpaca and has a cute lace inset. The black patent pumps are Kelsi Dagger.

I did score these fantastic baubles!

I got all three since they were selling for 10 bucks a pop. Can't beat that, especially at this quality. The gold cuffs are very heavy and solid. My favorite is the emeralds. Big fan of emeralds. The white tiger is pretty sick too, it's by Cara Jewelry, and the hammered gold and rhinestone cuff is very art deco which I love. These I would guess retail for at least 50-100 bucks.

I'm very happy for my husband though because he really came out the winner, he picked up a pair of Italian oxford wingtip pebbled leather shoes. Beauts!

Check out the Gilt Groupe shopping experience online until the next one pops up in the bay again.

Make up bag line up: All Star edition.

 

Here's my all star products in my makeup bag. These are mos def my go-to's for my every morning routine. 

Clockwise:

1. Nars Blush & 2. Illuminator in Orgasm.

    Everyone's favorite blush amirite? 

3. Benefit Brow Zings.

    True story: I never used to use brow products until my husband purchased this product for me for Valentines day about 5 years ago, I'm obviously hooked. The mini tweezer is key.

4. Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation.

    Sooo hooked. I get a lot of compliments about my face having a glow ever since I started using this foundation. It's light and oil free which is great for my face because I'm prone to breakouts.

5. Sephora + Pantone Universe black "meteorite" eye liner. 

   It's part of the trio special edition set. I was surprised about how fantastic the quality of the eye liner is. I have used other Sephora brand eye liners which tend to be a bit dry but this one is different, much more rich and longer lasting, my review here.

6. 100% Pure brightening concealer.

    This color matches perfectly to my skin and is very light and stays put, covering all my imperfections they best it can. 

Just FYI I'm now on Instagram on Android! I waited patiently and finally it came. Follow me at thefashionpalate on Instagram.

Studio Joule: Bamboo Washcloth

Everyone knows I am obsessed with Studio Joule products. I've seen Pauline for my facials, brow waxing and professional make up (she does a great smokey eye!) and facial products. I have my whole routine down pat for over a year now.

Daily I wash my face, I use skin tone therapy pads and oil free sunblock every morning and follow up with the gly/sal pads (to tone down my flare ups and achieve a healthy glow) and ultra lite moisture dew cream at night with the occasional spot treatment: Benzyl Peroxide Gel.

I recently added a new step to my routine. I'm always excited when Pauline introduces me to a new product, this time I tried the Bamboo Washcloth because she recommends that "everyone should have a special wash cloth for their face."

Seriously the softest textured wash cloth I have ever used. It has the feel of microfiber and is very absorbent. I use one cloth every 4 days, each corner of the washcloth square per day and then throw it in the wash. The best thing about the washcloth is that not only does it feel luxurious it actually removes my makeup thoroughly, without that oily residue regular makeup remover has.

ABOUT THE PRODUCT
- 3 IMPROVED! Microbamboo 12" x 12" Cleansing/Exfoliating Cloths in a Charcoal-White Blend (Logo-Free) Individually Packed in Organza Bags w/ Intro Flyers
- The perfect size for use as a wash cloth
- Removes makeup or hair dye from hairline with just water
- Use wet with or without product to deep cleanse pores
- Use dry to exfoliate before facials and body wraps without affecting the skin's natural acid mantle
- Made in Taiwan

ABOUT MICROBAMBOO
Our Microbamboo products are a fusion of our already-versatile Microfiber and Bamboo-Charcoal. Bamboo-Charcoal is made by heating bamboo at a temperature of 1000°C, and then grounding it into nano-particles to combine with filament yarn. Benefits of our Microbamboo include being:
- Ultra-plush, velvety-soft, and super-absorbent, yet lightweight and durable
- Lint-, wrinkle-, and odor-free

CARE INSTRUCTIONS
- Machine-washable/dryable. Liquid detergent recommended.
- Do not use fabric softener or dryer sheets.

Studio Joule offers a great deal, 1 for $8, 2 for $12 and 3 for $21.

Def. a must try ladies, for yourself, your girlfriends, mom's and even husbands! Once you try it, it's hard to go back to the regular washcloth.

Stop by Studio Joule in San Jose, and tell them The Fashion Palate sent you.

Visit Studio Joule website for location and info.

Fab Five Friday: Sweet Touches of Style and Taste.

My Fab Five is back! It's been a little crazy with my new job as a style consultant and assistant to a local designer, so I haven't been good about updating my blog as often! I apologize, and thank you as always for keeping up with me and following me at

 The Fashion Palate on Facebook.

Back to Fab Five, these are just a few of the things that caught my tasteful eye this week! Enjoy.

 A glass zip lock candy jar from IT'SUGAR. No words can explain my joy for this quirky piece.

Cutting shears look tasteful and whimsical around your wrist! 

 

I caught this one on Pinterest. I've been a bit obsessed with Pantone ever since Tangerine tangoed its way into my heart! I love the idea of color swatches and food art!

 

This is screaming my name. Who else is crazy about French Macaroon's? These cute little treat boxes make me swoon and drool all at once.

 

And what's a blog post without shoes? These Miu Miu's are fun and playful with their colorful check pattern. I envision picnic play dates in the Spring, that is if the weather ever clears up!

Soulstice Beauty Spa Product Review

I recently won a contest hosted by Soulstice on Facebook! I received this luxurious assortment of spa products.

All I had to do was post a picture of how I keep my beauty products organized.

I had just organized all my nail polishes (including a few Soulstice nail colours) in this shelf unit I found at my local Marshall's. I like the look of a mini nail salon in my bathroom.

Back to the products!

I have yet to try the Body Polish and Creme Cleanser. The cleanser is for everyday use (and I am loving the gold shimmering substance in this bottle) and every few days you sub the cleanser for the body polish scrub! Can't wait to try it out.

I'm super weird about opening a bunch of products at once, so I tried these products out first.
The Perfecting Body Balm and Body Wash.

First of all I love the smell of these two products. It has a scent of what I can only describe as a Jamba Juice smoothie, specifically the Citrus Squeeze! Lemon, lime, orange peel,mmmm.

I give about two-three pumps to lather up with the wash. and then following the shower I follow up with the body balm to lock in the moisture. The body balm is a lotion that looks thick but feels light on the skin. My skin gets really dry so this has really helped lengthen the amount of time before I need to apply more lotion.

So far so good! Make sure to visit Soulstice. I love that their products are vegan and made in the USA.

Sephora + Pantone Universe Color of the Year: Beauty Review

Having heard the news from my beauty friend FashionCHICsta about the Sephora and Pantone Universe Color of the Year beauty products I was super excited. For one, orange is just one of those colors I gravitate to. And two, I was interested in how this hue would look like as a beauty product.

Here's the display I visited today in Sephora Valley Fair. All the products come in these Pantone swatch boxes with the color of the year all over it. I was initially drawn to the eyeliner in Tangerine Tango, upon further investigation I noticed they are sold as a trio set of eyeliners for $22! Such a good deal.

The Sephora+ Pantone Universe eyeliner set included : Chestnut (A rich chocolate brown), Tangerine Tango Twist (Orange with a little sparkle), and Meteorite (A black shade from another galaxy with specks of twinkling shimmer). I gotta say, they are easy to apply. So smooth and glide on effortlessly. I'm very fond of Meteorite!

Will/have you tried any of the Pantone beauty products yet?

Time Out!

Time out! 

Wow tagging brings me back, reminds me of playing Disney freeze tag on the school playground. Anyway, this is my very FIRST time being tagged, so thanks Nancy-Lee of FashionCHICsta for that! Please do check out her blog as well!

Time in!

(Zach Morris style!)

Well here it goes:

1. Who inspired your discovery of makeup?

My mom, she has champagne taste for makeup too, like Chanel and and Yves Saint Laurent.

 

2. What is your first makeup memory?

I remember playing with all the samples from Avon, my mom sold for them so I got a lot of those mini sample lipsticks! I was probably around 5 years old. I started young.

 

3. What was your biggest makeup faux pas?

I tend to stay on the more natural makeup look, so I don't recall any horrendous faux pas. But I remember my first foundation purchase in Jr.high, I was so excited to use it so I applied it in the bathroom before school started and the color ended up not matching my natural color, it was probably a few shades to light! So I ended up looking very ghostly the entire school day. ick.

 

4. Which look do you wish you invented. 

I'm going with a fashion response to this one, Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's look. The black dress, pearls, large hat and sunnies is just so glamorous!

 

5. What is your definition of beauty?

 How you present yourself. Confidence, humor and humility.

 Reminds me of this friend I had in High school, everyone thought she dressed like super weird and outrageous and so she was considered not very pretty, but I felt liked she rocked it. Her confidence in her look was o.o.c!

 

6. What is one of your dirty little makeup secrets? 

I still have this Yves Saint Laurent touche makeup pen I got for prom 2001. My mom bought it for me, and I feel like she was crazy for buying a 17yr old something so expensive. I guess that's why I keep it. Weird attachments to old icky makeup! hah! I think I'm going to go throw it away now...

 

7. Why did you name your blog, that name?

I needed a name that represents who I am and what my readers can expect from me. Fashion because that's what my blog revolves around and Palate because I have a taste for not only fashion, but for sweet and savor things! I love to bake and cook and I wanted that to be a focus in my writing as well. Palate is also a play on Palette, I taught many years of Art and have my credential as an Art teacher so that plays in my blog name as well.

 

8. How many monthly subscription services to you belong?

2, Stylemint and Harper's Bazaar.

 

9. If you could only film or only write, which one would you choose and why?

Write. I don't film. Never been fond of seeing myself talk.

 

10. What is one piece of advice you would give to a new blogger?

Use other bloggers as inspiration but stay true to your style.

 

11. What is the one piece of advice you are grateful someone shared with you?

Fake it to make it! ;)