mistral soap: for the granny in you

I fondly remember visits to my grandmother's house as a child, and especially exploring her bathroom, with all its pretty, pastel-coloured, rose-scented guest soaps. Of course, they'd never be used (they were too pretty for that), and would just sit in their shell-shaped dish, collecting dust (my Nana didn't like dusting). There was just something so ladylike about those soaps, and it ingrained in me the desire to line my own powder room with gorgeously scented rose perfumes and lavender sachets. So because of my love of all things granny (and all things French), I was immediately drawn to Mistral, which makes triple-milled soaps based on age-old French traditions. These vegetable-based soaps are infused with organic shea butter, so they're intensely moisturizing, and they're all wrapped up in pretty, retro-ish, straight-from-Provence packaging. But the real joy for me are the scents: there's traditional "granny" scents like rose petal, lilac and lavender, but they've also got more unexpected ones such as melon-pear and cantaloupe-cucumber. And even if you choose not to unwrap them, and keep them for display purposes only, they'll emit that lovely fragrance throughout your bathroom.

pretty things: lulu organics hair powder

I love a pretty package, and this Hair Powder from New York City-based Lulu Organics, which looks like something you'd find in a Victorian ladies' dressing room, had me at hello. But it's not just a pretty package: shake a little of this delightfully scented powder in your palms and rub it through your locks, and you'll be able to keep the grease monkeys at bay long enough to skip a day or two of hair-washing. While baby powder may work well in a pinch, this Hair Powder packs a grocery-list of ingredients, including organic corn starch, baking soda and rice powder, along with white clay, to really freshen and act like a sort of dry cleanser. Plus, it's entirely organic and gets the USDA Organic seal of approval. Love the botanical-y scent of the lavender/clary sage scent, too.

mor moroccan mint soap: almost too pretty to use.

After years of blacklisting, I'm kind of on a soap kick lately. Perhaps it's body wash fatigue (there's seriously too much selection out there these days) or that my last soap experience was such a (surprisingly) good one, but I've rediscovered the simple joys of bar soap and my latest obsession is this luxurious Moroccan Mint Soap from under-the-radar Australian beauty brand Mor. I was wowed by the packaging the first time I saw it, and it was so lovely in fact, that I kept it all wrapped-up in its 17th century-inspired, golden-embossed outer layer and placed it in my bureau drawer to let its lush fragrance scent my clothing (until very recently when I just had to crack open this covetable little item). The soap smells like real, fresh mint (and not the manufactured, sickly-sweet, mint-extract variety) mixed with a very soft floral that's heady but not overpowering. I'm glad that I finally unwrapped it because the soap's triple-milled formula is creamy enough to match the moisturization level of many softening body washes on the market. What's more, this nearly-brick-sized bar will last you many months to come. So, Mor soap is almost too pretty to use. Almost.

MAC does handbags?

If you're looking to add a pop of punchy color to your summer outfits, then these shiny, technicolor Summer Trend Bags from MAC could fit the bill. In super-saturated, on-trend neon shades of citron, infra-orange and neon-blue, they're an extension of MAC's boldy-brazen, orange-packaged Neo-Sci-Fi collection. While they're more likely meant to be used as makeup bags, when they're this pretty, why not use them to tote your keys and cash on those hot summer nights? You can get them in mini, small and medium sizes. Could handbags be MAC's next spin-off line? I can just picture the MAC addicts salivating...

pretty things: MAC heatherette collection

Remember how I said a little while back that I was feeling blase about MAC? Well, that was before I witnessed the club-kid crazy MAC Heatherette collection. Designed in collaboration with the wild-child designer duo Richie Rich (himself a former NYC club kid in the late 80s) and Traver Rains of Heatherette, the line features hot-pink and disco-ball-glitter-inspired packaging that's sure to become a collector's item.

This is truly little-girl's fantasy makeup come-to-life. I'm especially loving the edgy-cool black-and-white paint-by-numbers illustrations of the superfantastic NYC designers that appear on product boxes (makes me want to get out my paints and markers and start coloring!). If you want to get your hands on some of this girly goodness, I suggest you get to a MAC counter fast, as the MAC addicts have most likely already descended.

pretty things: balmshell lipgloss

With Valentine's day approaching, it's only fitting that you bring on the bombshell. You know: that inner sex kitten-ish Bondgirl we all have inside, that's just itching to come out. But sometimes we need a little help to coax it out, so my pick is Balmshell Lipgloss, which comes in a myriad of shades that let you choose your bombshell personality. I'm loving You Give me Fever, a sheer rosy pink, and Sleep in Beauty, a glimmery pink. The best part is the packaging: it comes equipped with a "float-art" vignette – (along the lines of those souvenir pens only found in kitschy tourist shops) – depicting your balmshell personality. And when you're done with the gloss, you can make a keychain out of it.
Definitely fit for a Bondgirl.

pretty things: tarte we wish you health kit

Leave it to Tarte to come up with one of the prettiest little gift sets you ever did see. The We Wish you Health Skinvigorating Discovery Kit is filled with some of Tarte's best good-for-your-skin products (and some of my personal faves), all in one mini-size, glimmery-purple, rocker-chic purse. It's got the ingenius Lock n' Roll eyeshadow duo – a double-ended powder and cream shadow stick infused with Vitamin E that comes in gorgeous, burnished metal shades of silver and bronze. You'll also find the yummy-smelling Inside Out Gloss – (that sci-fi-ish gloss infused with a grocery list of good things like acai & green tea extract, Vitamin C and Lychee, just in case you happen to ingest any of that glossy goodness) – in a super-flattering bright pink that you can wear sheer or layer for added drama. Add to that the Clean Slate Face Primer, which features avocado oil, echinacea and rosemary to soothe and moisturize while it perfects your face; and my grand slam product, the Lights, Camera, Lashes! Mascara, enhanced with pro vitamin B5, and you've got one winning, hard-working makeup kit. Best of all, lovelies, is the flashy, metallic purple makeup bag - it's a statement-making piece in itself. If you're looking for a gift for one of your lovely girlfriends, I can guarantee this little number will delight to no end.

pretty things: MAC Royal Assets palette

Feast your eyes on this vision of loveliness. The MAC Royal Assets palettes are some of the most prettily packaged cosmetic cases to come along in a while. At first, before opening them, you might think these silver- and gold-gilded boxes with the embossed ceramic scrolls are pretty, vintage cigarette cases the likes of which your chic grandmother might have had. But flip them open and behold the gorgeousness inside: lovely jewel-like warm-to-cool shadows and lipcolors to suit every skin tone. Pictured here is my fave, the Metallic Eyes, featuring six shimmering shades, from bronzed peach to golden-sparkled black. This is the kind of palette you'll want to keep long after your shadow play is done.

pretty things: prescriptives the illuminator

Doing one's makeup in public is usually an etiquette no-no, but to be able to whip out this stunning compact while lounging at a luxe resto, I'm willing to make an exception. Like a chic it-bag you want to show off, The Illuminator All Over Face Color by Prescriptives comes in the loveliest gunmetally faux leather case, complete with a crystal-studded charm. Plus, what's inside the compact is just as beautiful: three complementary, universally flattering shades surrounded by glimmering gold hues to highlight, contour, and otherwise illuminate your complexion. Wear them sheer for a whisper of candlelit color or layer for a deeper effect and light up the night.

pretty things: körner skincare

Design-wise, anything with a minimalist bent usually leaves me somewhat cold. I'm more of a Parisian-inspired, vintage-y kind of gal, and this usually translates to my love of anything retro in beauty packaging. But lovelies, there's something about the sleek chic of Körner Skincare that had me from the get-go. When I read that it won Best New Product in Wallpaper magazine's Design Awards, I was definitely intrigued. Körner, a 100-year-old product line that underwent a major makeover, just oozes luxury with its clean lines and spare white and aubergine bottles with vaguely uber-stylish Scandinavian fonts. Behold the beauty that is this package for Loaded The Anti-Ager: sophisticated, clean and chic. It's the kind of product you want lining your bathroom vanity to impress houseguests. Not to mention, the products boast high-performance ingredients such as pseudodipeptides, exotic rainforest plant extracts and something called "Wattle Seed" (you could literally spend a day learning about this brand's philosophy and ingredient benefits...). I'm partial to the Seem A Dream Cleansing Wash, a gently exfoliating cleanser that left my skin with an inner radiance. As with many things in life, the pretty things will cost you dearly, but rest assured they'll look fabulous.

pretty things: Venus Magical Pearls

Lovelies, a little while ago, I wrote a post all about gorgeously packaged beauty products from the likes of Dianne Brill and Benefit. Now, since I seem to come across pretty packages almost every week, I thought I'd start a recurring feature on that very topic. I'm calling it pretty things, since us girls can never have enough of them. So, my first pretty thing is Jelly Pong Pong's ever-so-lovely Venus Magical Pearls. The sage green, opalescent outer box of the Goddess Skin shade is itself a thing to behold: a cute little hat-box-ish container with vintagey scroll font. But then open it up, and you'll be amazed by the lovely pearlescent jar filled with shimmering, coppery pearls that break open to reveal a fantastic luminous olivey-green tone. You can swipe it on as a highlighter, bronzer or use it as eyeshadow. Simply stunning!

the best beauty product packaging

Lovelies, I'm sure you can relate when I say that sometimes, the outside of our beloved beauty products is just as good as what's inside. I mean, why buy high-end if you're not going to get a pretty package? So with that in mind, I'd like to share with you some of my fave, pretty-on-the-outside (as well as inside!) product picks.
One of my all-time greats when it comes to a lovely outer layer (in more ways than one!) is Benefit. I just love the 50s-retro vibe and cheeky names like Touch Me Then Try to Leave and Lyin' Eyes. That, coupled with hints of leopard print and polka dots, pin-up girl pics and lots of pink, makes Benefit a prized possession to display on my vanity. Standouts: Bathina and Kitten Classic Shimmering Powder in a Puff.

Another line I'm coveting right now is Awake Cosmetics' Stardom line. This stuff is packaged in gorgeously glimmery red and silver. The Lip Lacquer, for example, (which I'm loving, by the way - the shimmery color Elf Brown is oh-so flattering), is a slick little number topped with a shiny crimson lid with reflective silver touches that almost double as a mirror. Classic and lovely. Standouts: Aqua Trans Powder and Eye Tint.

On the beauty front, packaging just seems to get better and better every year. One of the prettiest I've seen in a while is Dianne Brill's line. It's all about embossed lace, pearls and bows, packaged in inventive cases like cigar tubes and matchboxes. It's a girly-girl's dream! Standouts: Eye Lingerie Eyebrow Pencil and Eyeshadow.

And then there's Too Faced. Love, love, love! This line captures Old Hollywood glamour with it's back-lacquered cases and vintage-y vibe. Love that they also imprint the makeup with cool designs like the new Too Faced Pink Leopard Bronzing Powder. And the Beauty Brooch is encased in a lovely little cameo locket filled with lipgloss goodness. Simply gorj! Standouts: Kitty Glitter and the Beauty Brooch.

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