FNO: dessert porn

Blah blah fashion, but look a cupcake!!

Stopped by Mozart Bakery to let me sister see how awesome it is. This is a peach mousse. Their smoothies are AMAZINGLY smooth. mmm, taro boba.

Macarons and whoopie pies from Tart Bakery at Neimans. The macarons were good, but the whoopie pies were far from good.

I loved the cranberry tarts! One of them rolled down my shirt... opps!

FNO: Les Jeans de Chanel

The thing I was anticipating the most about FNO 2011 (Fashion's Night Out) was the release of Chanel's extremely limited new nail polishes. I've become a Chanel polish addict, and I heard these were only available for purchase on Sept 8 at Chanel Boutiques and select beauty counters. So I drove up to the only boutique in the area where I lucked out and got a sweet valet parking spot! I told the guy I just wanted to pop into Chanel real quick and he was very nice about it. :)

To celebrate FNO and the polishes, they brought in three nail techs from a local salon (Hollywood Nails on preston & royal) to offer complimentary manicures! It's my first time to use the base and top coat. (nothing fabulous btw) She did an okay job considering I told her I was in a rush.

It's kind of hard to take photos and dig in my purse with wet nails so my sister helped out while I waited for them to dry. Imagine me awkwardly waving my hands around at Chanel. Hopefully no one was watching me. The fun thing about FNO is you can waltz into any high end boutique, and they are less likely to be judging you.

Nail Swatches of Coco Blue and Blue Boy.

August Favorites

This month there was less makeup and more time spent baking. macarons and creme brulee specifically. This is my 12th favorites post! I can't believe I've done it for a year already.

Chanel Le Vernis in Morning Rose (557)
Surprisingly this rose with golden flecks polish sold out! The weird thing is there is no buzz about how it sold out like Chanel Jade. Morning Rose was not even the IT color, it was Mimosa (yellow). I managed to snag this during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale in July, and I noticed that it had to be shipped from the downtown Seattle location. As if it was the last one. It also didn't seem completely full... compared to a brand new polish. I'll never know, will I? Out of curiosity I checked Chanel.com and it was sold out there too! I had just checked the week before, and it was still there! Apparently it was a sleeper hit or they just didn't make very many of them. I hope you got one while you could!

Chanel Rouge Allure in Desinvolte (86)
At a glance it seemed similar to Rouge Coco Peregrina, but I'd say it's more pink than peach which is why I like it better. Plus I've always wanted a Rouge Allure but the colors in the permanent line are either too brown or too bright. This was the right pink I was looking for. This is also a million times better than the Rouge Cocos because it doesn't have a gross fragrance smell and taste to it. It's also limited, so get it from Nordstrom while you can.

Dior Crush Glow Quint (659) LE
When it first came out last year I didn't think it looked all that great compared to the Ready to Glow quint, but for $20 via blogsale I decided to take a chance and get it. I'm so glad I did! It's gorgeous! I'm a sucker for the soft purples and golds.

Half Sheet Size Aluminum Baking Pan (about 12"x17")
It's extremely thick at 18 gauge, and it will probably never warp. It's heavy enough so the heat from the bottom of my oven won't cook my macarons too fast. It also doesn't burn the bottoms of cookies. Aluminum doesn't burn quickly like non-stick (dark coating) does. Remember to use parchment paper. I got these professional pans from a restaurant supply store for only $7.38 each!

KitchenAid Hand Mixer Whisk attachment
Adding this whisk attachment to my hand mixer gave me more control over beating my egg whites in a smaller bowl. I prefer this over a big stand mixer!

July Favorites

My July Favorites are here! (yes I know it's September..)

1. Dior DiorSkin Shimmer Star Powder in Amber Diamond
A perfect finishing touch for the cheeks. I think it illuminates my cheeks without being too shimmery. It gives that light from within glow. Thanks Steph for the birthday gift!

2. Sigma Duo Fibre Powder/Blush Brush - F15
I bought this to use with the above powder. It's also workable with cream blushes. It's soft and deposits the right amount of powder with the duo fibre tip. Sigma actually makes good quality brushes!

3. Lmdb Rock and Romance Polishes
Perfect transition colors to fall. See my review here.

4. Dior Instant eye makeup remover
I received a sample of this, and I think it works slightly better than Lancome Bi-Facil!

5. Le Creuset mini cocotte in lavender
I found these cute mini cocottes on clearance at Dillards! My first Le Creuset, and I love the quality of it. It's perfect for single serving souffles or gratin! They were about $3-$4 from $20! I was also drawn to the Taro color likeness.