reviews Archives | Letters from the City

julep nail vernis in stefani - natural light

Dear Laura,

I painted my nails! I know, it’s a rarity. I feel that nail polish takes so long to dry that I don’t really have time for it… and I did end up wrecking these within two hours of applying the polish. I’ve been using Butter London’s Matte Finish Topcoat constantly and really like it. I originally thought it might dry my nails faster, but it takes just as long to fully set my nails as usual… if only I could seem to remember that.

The color I used is Julep’s Stefani from one of my old Julep Maven boxes, described as a “Gold flecked grey metallic”. There are tiny gold flecks in the polish that begin to stand out as the polish dries. Julep nail polishes are 4 free and I like to use natural products as much as possible, so they get my dangerous chemical-free approval. …

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In the mirror at the Clarins lounge.

One fashion week day during a break between shows, Chris, Lindsay, and I stopped by the tranquil and spa-like (i.e. I loved it) Clarins Beauty Flash Lounge in the Empire Hotel. I just asked for a bit of undereye help that day, but my makeup artist convinced me to do a full touch up with Clarins Beauty Flash and new foundation. She gave me some tips for application and we discussed sponge vs. fingertips methods.

At midnight my makeup still looked great.

That’s kind of an impossible feat for me (I think at least half my makeup disappears by noon every day), so I was sold on Beauty Flash. It’s the best primer I’ve ever used and even beats out my regular favorites from Smashbox, Laura Mercier, and L’Oreal. I’ve been testing Beauty Flash for about a month now, and it even saw me through a 5am wake up for an early flight to a midnight party… without a single touch up.

Lindsay at the Clarins lounge

Clarins Beauty Flash is both brightening and tightening, so I found that if you have dry skin (me) it’s definitely best to moisturize before using Beauty Flash, then go on with your beauty products as usual.