Archive for May, 2010

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As someone who has at least three lip glosses in my pocket or handbag at any given time, I’m always on the lookout for new, tasty lip products. Yesterday I was at my local drugstore and stumbled upon Lip Smacker 100% Natural, the first-ever 100% natural Lip Smacker product! Thinking it would be fun to indulge in the grown-up version of my favorite childhood gloss line, I choose the acai berry flavor, made with olive oil, beeswax, aloe, vitamin E, and pure fruit essence. Even the packaging is printed on recycled paper using soy based ink! The gloss is dye-free and left my with a slight shine, tasting just as deliciously sweet and feeling soft as the original varieties. Lip Smacker 100% Natural comes in other natural-inspired flavors, such as honeydew melon, pink guava, and vanilla bean. Be a kid again and indulge in this affordable, green-friendly, and fun beauty product!

I’ll admit- before I tried the DDF Revolve 400x Micro-polishing System, I was a tad skeptical- but now a few weeks in, I am a true believer. The at home system promises to deliver microdermabrasion in just 2 minutes a week without the harmful side effects of having crystal blasted at and then sucked off your skin.  To be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of micro-dermabrasion for that very reason- my skin is often left very red and raw after the procedure but I always go back to get it because I do love how clear and glowing my face is during the healing process as fresh skin grows in. (more…)

I recently received a bath and body recommendation from a very strange source for a very non-trendy, no frills product. In this specific case, a man. Yes, I am writing about my new favorite body wash, which was introduced to me by my manly friend who has an interest in all-natural bath and body products. Even more surprisingly, this particular product, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Pure Castille Soap has been in existence since 1948, has a very unique product history, and literally has 17 uses other than a liquid body wash!

The soap comes in a variety of scents, but I was most intrigued by the almond variety, which smells deliciously like almond extract. This particular product is made completely from free trade ingredients including organic extra virgin coconut oil, olive oil, hemp oil, and vitamin E, and are certified under the USDA Natural Organic Program. Many natural bath products lack the “foaming” quality mainstream products offer, but just a small squirt of this soap on an exfoliating loofah will lathing unlike any other natural bodywash I’ve used. Plus, it doesn’t hurt (but may expand my waistline) that the almond scent has me running to the kitchen baking almond cookies after my showers!

Dr. Bronner’s has a huge selection of bath and body products I’m itching to try, as soon as I go through my stash of existing soaps, lotions, and balms. I purchased my soap from the terrific Whole Foods Body store down the street for $10, but is also available at Vitamin Shoppe and local natural product stores nationwide.

When I think of fun, funky makeup colors, my mind automatically goes to Urban Decay.  There’s no other brand I’ve found that does bright shades with such wearability.  Even the colors I think I could never get away with are somehow possible when I try them with Urban Decay products.  And what better time to whip them out then as we head into the summer?

Two of their new offerings are both called the Summer of Love – the Summer of Love Nail Kit and the Summer of Love Shadow Palette.  The Summer of Love Nail Kit is the perfect set to bring along on all your mani/pedi appointments because if you’re like me, you constantly change your mind on what colors you’re going to wear, right up until the second the technician is staring at me with annoyance.  (There are just so many cute colors out there!)  The Summer of Love Nail Kit has 7 different shades in it, all in mini bottles that are totally portable and easy to pack.  (I especially appreciate this when it comes to nail polish because when I head to NJ to visit my family, I always want to bring polish with me since my mom and always go and get mani/pedis, but I hate packing full bottles since they don’t really fit anywhere and take up a lot of space.  These mini bottles are the perfect size to fit in my makeup bag while still leaving me enough space to pack all 47 of the eyeshadows I absolutely can’t live without).  The polishes all have fun 1960′s themed names, like Woodstock, Magic Bus, and Aquarius, and they’re almost all super fun and cheerful.  I love the way Psychedelic Sister, a bright coral, looks on my toes, and I’m going to try Woodstock, a hot pink, on my nails at my next manicure.  For all of you commitment-phobes out there who hate spending a lot of money on one bottle of polish that you know you’re never going to use up, this is the perfect investment at only $28.

The Summer of Love Shadow Palette comes in the cutest packaging – it almost makes me wish I’d been alive back in the ’60′s to experience the life of a hippie.  (But then I come to my senses because I shower like, twice a day and really hate being dirty, so there’s no way I would’ve made it.  The first time someone asked me to go four days without shampooing my hair and washing my face, I would’ve been like, “It’s been fun, but I think I need to stop being a flower child now.”).  It’s yet another one of Urban Decay’s must-have palettes.  It has four shadows in totally wearable summer shades – three neutral shades and then a pop of color with a bright purple – that lets you create several different daytime to nighttime looks.  You also get a mini Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Sin and an eyeliner in Bourbon (a great dark brown shade).  Again, I’m all about the portability and this palette is great for that with the three different products you need to create a perfect eye all at your disposal.  Just add a coat of your favorite mascara and go!

Thanks to Urban Decay, you can have your very own Summer of Love… showers included!

A and B cups of the world unite!  Maybe Kate Hudson wouldn’t have had to resort to her supposed implants, if she had tried out some of the lingerie from The Little Bra Company, a bra company focusing on making the most of your A and B cup assets, with prettily designed, delicate bras and panties.

In my own bra buying experience, almost all bras claim to give you the elusive promise of cleavage, but few are able to make it look natural. But, I was pleasantly surprised at the natural effects of The Little Bra Company’s bestselling bra, the Lucia, a deep V plunge, contour lacy bra, with push up.  I attribute the bra’s cleavage inducing properties to the closer set together cups and sturdy, strong (but not uncomfortable) band. The bra has a snug, close fit, and softly molds your goods, gently pushing them up and together.  A small tag on the band also comes with each bra, explaining the proper “method” (a sort of scoop and gather motion) for molding your assets into your bra.

Although lacy, because of a soft overlay, I liked that I had smooth lines despite wearing it under my V-Neck t shirt.  The “girls” also looked great, as Stacey London would say, they were “up at attention and saying hello,” a effect that wasn’t lost on my lunch buddies, who all asked “What are you wearing?”

Although The Little Bra Company only carries A and B cup bras, smaller C cups can also benefit from their products also.  I’m normally a small C cup, but because The Little Bra Company only carries A and B cups, I went one size larger in the band to compensate.  The Lucia bra from The Little Bra Company retails for $56 and you can purchase it on their website.

I started thinking the other night about what my all-time favorite beauty brands are.  (Don’t ask why – the answer really just involves me procrastinating and avoiding actual work).  I haven’t finalized a list yet because these are important decisions and they can’t be taken lightly, but I do know that whenever I finally do finish it, Stila will be one of the brands.  I just love all their products.  Every time a new collection of theirs comes out, I get excited and immediately want to own all of it.  Especially when I fall as hard for it as I do for the new summer products.

I haven’t tested all of them yet, but I’m totally obsessing over the One Step PrimeColors at the moment.  Housed in a convenient (and easily portable) tube, the formula is a creamy, thick liquid that can be used as a primer, eyeshadow, highlighter, lip color, cheek color, or bronzer.  (How’s that for options?)  I tested out Bronze Babe and Capri Coral and they’re so easy to use that I find myself reaching for them over and over again.  I especially love Bronze Babe because it looks good everywhere – I use it as a blush, as a gloss, and as a shadow and it gives me a natural, healthy tan glow.  The formula is really nice – it’s moisturizing, so it doesn’t dry your skin out, plus it’s water-resistant, so it’s perfect for the hot, sweaty summer weather.  I totally want to own the rest of them now, especially Kitten because I own everything else Kitten that Stila has put out and I think I need to complete the set.  At $22, they’re pretty economical too, since you can use them in so many different ways.  Definitely a summer must buy!

The other item from their summer collection that I’m currently obsessed with is the Raspberry Crush Lip & Cheek Stain.  I’ve always been a fan of the stains, but this is by far my favorite one.  It’s a vibrant, berry pink that just screams summer to me.  And like the OneStep PrimeColors, it’s a multitasker, which I totally enjoy.  (Between the two products, you could pretty much do your entire face in five minutes).  As a cheek color, it’s a pretty shade that blends in easily and lasts for hours, but I love it as a lip color the best.  It’s the hot pink shade that’s in all the magazines right now and it’s just really gorgeous.  (My cousin actually borrowed it from me to try out and she fell so in love with it that she immediately drove to Sephora to buy it).  This one will definitely be in my bag all summer long.

Now I just need to try out some of their new Smudge Stick eyeliners and my Stila summer will be complete…

I was pretty thrilled to hear that Coach collaborated with four fashion bloggers to produce a series of limited edition bags called Coach Collectibles. Emily Schuman of Cupcakes and Cashmere (one of my daily reads), Krystal Simpson of What is Reality Anyway?, Kelly Framel of The Glamourai, and Karla Deras of Karla’s Closet had the amazing opportunity to design their perfect Coach bag and then have it sold online.

They’re all lovely but my favorites are Emily’s Satchel and Karla’s Clutch.  Emily’s bag is structured but still ultra girly, while Karla’s bag is sophisticated and versatile. I wouldn’t mind owning both of these! Which is your fave? Check out more images below and order at Coach.com. (more…)