Today on a routine trip to Sephora to pick up some much needed mascara, I decided to buy myself a little treat. It is a rare occasion when I do something like this. I tend to be rather practical (too practical sometimes) and usually spend my money on things that I "need".

I have been eyeing the Imperial Bedroom Face Palate by Fresh for some months now. And today, on a whim, I bought it for myself. It is an absolutely gorgeous compact that contains a collection of face lusters that are described (by Sephora) as being very aristocratic. Yes I already have a lot of eye shadows, blushes, and lip colors... I did not need this palate du tout, but something about it was begging me to buy it!

Let's start with the case. It is a gorgeous, deep red compact that has a touch of ornate, gold detail on the lid and a lavish-sized mirror inside. Inside, the compact contains five gorgeous confections: Black Chemise Satin Liner (an opalescent black eyeliner), Chantilly Lace Satin Luster (for highlighting cheekbones- or in my case, lack thereof), Gilded Satin Eye Luster, Pale Moonlight Eye Luster, and crown rubies lip shine.

The colors are rich and luminous- the sort that I would imagine one would want to wear on the Orient Express or perhaps when one is feeling particularly regal.

I would love to know what sort of lavish treats you have bought yourself recently...

The Imperial Bedroom Face Palate is $55 and can be purchased at: www.sephora.com

Image courtesy of www.sephora.com

I am a die-hard fan of the original Stella perfume by Stella McCartney. It is a scent that I will never tire of and have been wearing religiously for the past five years. So I was very curious to try Stella Sheer- the limited edition, summertime version of my favorite scent.

Stella Sheer is lovely. It is a light, summery version of the original. Much more fruity and effervescent, Stella Sheer still smells of English rose petals but there is a crisp, citrus note that the original does not have. Here, the amber note (which is my favorite note of the original Stella) is not as prominent, allowing the lighter tones of green apples, lemon and roses to take center stage.

I am not in love with the bottle. The light pink floral appliques are a little too 70's for my taste. But I am willing to put that aside, as I have sampled this lovely scent on three separate occasions now and have fallen in love with it each time. I plan on purchasing this limited edition treat for the summer...

Stella Sheer retails for about $58 and can be purchased at: www.sephora.com

Image courtesy of: www.debenhams.com

I was first attracted to Hermes' Eau des Merveilles by the bottle. Merveilles means "wonder" in French and the packaging for this delightful perfume is the embodiment of wonder. Slightly tilted, the bottle for Eau des Merveilles suggests that when you spray this fragrance, colorful fireworks might come out instead of perfume. Joyful and exuberant, Eau des Merveilles looked like it would lift my spirits (and lately, I figure we could all use a little spirit lifting). This fragrance came out a few years ago and I have just gotten around to trying it. Yes, the bottle is spectacular and I must say, and the fragrance does not disappoint.

Eau des Merveilles is a woody, amber fragrance. The scent is much deeper than the joyous and carefree bottle suggests. The woody fragrance lingers in the background and the amber aspect, once it dries down, plays center stage. There is something captivating and adventurous about this perfume- it is whimsical, yet mysterious. I would imagine its literary equivalent would be Le Petit Prince. Hermes describes this little gem as captivating the spirit of wood, the memory of the ocean and the sparkle of a constellation. Very apropos indeed!

Eau des Merveilles retails for about $120 and can be purchased at: www.hermes.com or at Sephora stores nationwide.

Image courtesy of http://www.miniature-parfum.fr

My social calendar was chock-full last week- which, for me, is highly unusual. I am usually more of a stay-at-home-with-my-chihuahua-and-husband type girl but my birthday was on Saturday so, of course, I had to ring in the festivities for the entire week non-stop. We're talking three nice dinners out, a trip to the theatre, a beach day and a family pool party. Phew! I am exhausted. But it was all in good fun and, alas, I am another year older.

This may sound odd but my favorite part about the entire week was getting ready for each outing. Makeup-wise, this is where my beloved Chanel eyeshadow quads came in handy. I've mentioned before how much I love Chanel eyeshadow. I think the pigmentation is just right and the shimmer is sultry- not tacky (and shimmer can so often become tacky- if it is of poor quality.) The quads are fun because you know that you can't go wrong with the application- the colors are in such harmony with each other.

When getting ready for the theatre (my friends and I saw Spamalot at the Ahmanson- which I highly recommend, by the way) I opted for Chanel eyeshadow quad in Vanities. This is a quad of the purple/ plum persuasion (pictured top, center) and I figured since I was seeing a fun play that I should have fun with my eyeshadow too!

For my birthday dinner at the Viceroy hotel, I decided to go with a modern smokey eye and used the Chanel eyeshadow quad in Beige Velours. This color combination creates a smokey, taupe shimmer (pictured bottom, right) and was perfect for the "alluring" look I was going for.

And for dinner with my girlfriends I went with one of my all time favorites, Chanel eyeshadow quad in Dunes. This quad has shades of smokey grey, and dusky pink, (pictured bottom, left) which can create another subtle but intense smokey eye.

I tend to always buy these eyeshadow at Duty Free when I travel internationally, so I wont be purchasing any new colors until December, when I go to England again. But until then I will be on the look-out for the latest shades and variations...

To purchase Chanel Eyeshadow Quads, visit: www.chanel.com