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If I ever change careers, I totally want to be one of the people who helps come up with Benefit’s product ideas and packaging.  Doesn’t that seem like it would be a cool job?  Benefit always has the best presentation; when I walk past their display at Sephora, I just want to scoop it all up in my arms and run.  (That wouldn’t get me in trouble at all, would it?)  They recently released the adorably-named Confessions of a Concealaholic and I can’t stop playing around with mine.

The box is designed to look like a diary, complete with a heart-shaped lock.  (We all had them in junior high, didn’t we?)  Inside, you’ll find everything you could possibly ever need to make it look like you have perfect skin.  There’s smaller sizes of “that gal” brightening face primer, boi-ing industrial strength concealer in two different shades, erase paste brightening camouflage for  eyes & face, eye bright instant eye brightener, lemon aid color correcting eyelid primer, 4 brushes, and a step-by-step lesson in how to use it all.  Basically, if you’re carrying this around with you, there’s nothing on your face that you can’t conceal.  It’s also nice for traveling – it might not be super small, but if you throw it in your luggage, you don’t even have to think about bringing any other full-sized products.  It’s one stop shopping!

Available at Sephora.com and BenefitCosmetics.com.

There is nothing I like more than getting pampered.  If I was a millionaire, I’d be one of those people with a standing appointment at the most luxurious spa around on a monthly (oh, who are we kidding, weekly) basis.  But let’s face it, even if most of us did have a bank account that ended with a long string of zeros, finding the time to get yourself to a spa to enjoy a service isn’t always easy.  There’s the drive to get there, the time spent changing in the locker room, waiting in line to pay, etc…  (Not to mention the fact that in L.A., the second you get back on the road and find yourself in bumper to bumper traffic, any relaxing effects from your treatment are instantly wiped away).  So when I heard about Yada Yada Yoga, a company that offers a mobile approach to both fitness and relaxation services, I jumped at the chance to have an experienced technician come to my home and pamper me. (more…)

Whenever I get to check out a new Chanel collection, I get a little giddy because they’re always so gorgeous and luxurious.  I always remember being a little girl and passing the Chanel counter at the mall and looking forward to the day I could wear it myself.  Their new spring collection is exactly the sort of thing I was dreaming about back then.  Chanel calls Les Impressions De Chanel “a collection of clean, classic neutrals that are infinitely wearable and effortlessly chic.  Quintessential shades, ranging from pink and beige to warm brown and khaki, enhance the complexion and illuminate the face, highlighting a woman’s natural beauty.”  I’ve gotten to try a few of the products and so far, I’ve loved them all. (more…)

If there’s one thing I love as much as products, it’s England.  London is my favorite city in the world and I would totally move there if I could find the perfect job that paid enough for me not to have to live in like, a studio apartment the size of my bathroom.  (Have you guys ever been there?  London is expensive!)  I also have fond memories of hours spent browsing in Boots (sort of the British equivalent of CVS) and finding some amazing products that I haven’t been able to get in the US, so I have very fond memories of my time living there.  Which is why when I recently learned about Bamford Bath & Body – a product line made entirely in England, I couldn’t wait to try it. (more…)

I’ve been on a major gloss kick lately (although really, when am I not?). LORAC’s Multiplex 3D Lip Glosses are new for spring and they’ve already found their way into my bag so I can carry them around on a daily basis.

The glosses come in six different shades ranging from bright pink to dark nude and they go on super, super shiny (like, reflecting the light off your lips when you look in the mirror shiny).  The glosses are made with a formula that is supposed to visually retexture the lips, which smoothes away imperfections and lets the true color of the gloss come through.  It’s also paraben-free and full of antioxidants, so unlike some lipsticks, wearing it keeps your lips smooth and moisturized.  The texture is a combo between a liquid lipstick and a lip lacquer; it seems thicker than regular glosses to me so it lasts longer on my lips.  I also love the scent of it – my friend and I have been sniffing it for days, trying to figure out exactly what it is (we lead very boring lives) and I think we’ve narrowed it down to pomegranate.  It’s really fresh and fruity and perfect for the warmer weather.  Bring on the pool parties!

When I hear someone talking about La Mer, I automatically think of luxury. Every product that I’ve ever tried from them has left me oohing and ahhing over it, so when I got the chance to test out their Body Refiner and Body Creme duo, I couldn’t say yes fast enough.  (Seriously, I think I hit “reply” before I even finished reading the e-mail!)  It’s a two part process that starts with the Body Refiner.  It’s a thick, creamy exfoliator that uses acidic sea muds to detoxify and purify your skin.  It’s light green in color, but the truly amazing part is that it contains polished sea quartz and pure diamond powder to carry out the exfoliation.  Loretta Miraglia, SVP of Produce Development and Innovation, explains that “to create the most effective exfoliator on earth, we incorporated the hardest material on earth – diamonds.   (more…)

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Valentine’s Day is a great holiday…if you have a significant other.  But if you don’t, all the advertising and hype can sometimes make you feel like you’re missing out on something.  Not fun.  Not fun at all.  Which is why I subscribe to the theory that if you’re single on February 14th, the best way to deal is to go out with your other single friends for drinks and dancing.  But if you can’t manage that, you have to at least treat yourself to something special or luxurious to make the day fun for you too.  Expensive chocolates or that pair of shoes you’ve had your eye on for awhile are always good, but here’s a few other options that are guaranteed to make you smile. (more…)

When I think of sparkly, glittery makeup, the first brand that pops into my mind is Urban Decay.  I love that their makeup can range the gamut from over the top, Studio 54 glitter to more subtle, night out with the girls sparkle.

The new Stardust Eyeshadows fall into the more subtle category, which is perfect for those of us who still want to sparkle a little without looking like a disco ball.  They come in a wide variety of colors – there are nine in all – that range from Atmosphere (a deep turquoise) to Bobby Dazzle (white) with most shades in between. (I’m partial to Retrograde and Moon Spoon myself).  The shadows go on fairly sheer, which I like because it allows you to layer the color to get it as deep as you want.  (I’ve also discovered through reading other blogs and trial and error that applying them wet helps to make the color deeper, as does applying them with your fingers, a trick I never would’ve thought of on my own).  The nice thing about the glitter in these shadows is that, for the most part, it stays where you put it.  I absolutely hate glittery shadows where the glitter starts out on your eyes and migrates all over your face.  (I’ve tried a lot of these and whenever I look in the mirror at the end of the night, I look like a demented circus clown).  Glitter is always hard to control, but I feel like the Stardust shadows do a great job of keeping it on my lids instead of, say, my cheeks.  They’re also sheer enough to layer with your other favorite shadows to add a touch of sparkle to anything that’s already in your makeup wardrobe, so the $20 per shadow goes a long way. (more…)