Beauty

You guys, I just love Bobbi Brown.  Love!  Her collections never disappoint me and most of the time, when I see them, I have a moment of, “Ooooh, that’s how I should wear those colors!”  Her Spring 2012 collection, Neons & Nudes, falls exactly into that category.  I just adore the way she has the pops of color on the lips, while everything else is soft and muted.  I tend to find myself falling into the same pattern of always emphasizing my eyes and doing a nude lip, so this is a perfect way to get me out of my rut and shake up my look.  (more…)

We recently caught up with celebrity brow specialist and makeup artist Kristie Streicher, who has an incredibly keen eye for stylish, often eco-friendly finds. In addition to grooming famous brows in New York City, volunteering with her father’s nonprofit organization (Divine Spark) and amassing what Vogue dubbed a “killer vintage wardrobe,” Kristie recently opened the new Kristie Streicher Beauty Bar inside L.A.’s Warren Tricomi salon. Here are her latest obsessions: (more…)

Sephora has a new collection of eye shadows out called Prisma Chrome shadows that caught my eye right when I walked in the other day.  I love when the packaging of products is appealing as well and these certainly fit the bill for that.

The shadows come in individual compacts with a half-raised sort of wave pattern.  So pretty!  The shadows themselves are billed as bringing together the best features of baked, powder and cream shadows.  To me, they seem more like powder shadows, but I have to admit, when I first started playing with them, I just thought they were going to be cream shadows, for some reason.  I was totally surprised when I felt their texture and it was more powdery.

The shadows are available in ten different shades ranging from an opalescent pink beige to a dark plum and I really like the color selection.  There wasn’t one that I wouldn’t have been happy taking home with me.  I tried out three different shades – Shimmery Sand 10 (a light golden sand), Gold Reflection 20 (a bright yellow gold) and Sapphire Shine 30 (a royal blue).  I really like the finish on these – they’re very shiny and pigmented and they reflect light fabulously.  I especially like the bolder shades; I don’t have any colors in my (far too) vast collection that are the same as Gold Reflection and Sapphire Shine has very few dupes as well.

They’re bright and fun and would totally work for a dramatic colorful look for a night out.  And at only $15 each, it’s an easily justifiable purchase.  In fact, I have to return something at the mall tonight and I’m thinking of stopping in Sephora and picking up the Burgundy Gem shade.  I deserve it!

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There’s nothing more important than having your skin look as flawless as possible.  After all, if your skin doesn’t look good, no one will be able to get past that to check out your fabulous eye makeup!  One of the best ways to achieve the look of perfection is with MAKE UP FOR EVER’s new HD Complexion Starter Kit.  The Sephora exclusive contains a .17 ounce HD Microfinish Powder, a HD Kabuki Brush, a .5 ounce HD Microperfecting Primer, and a 1.01 ounce HD Invisible Cover Foundation.  I’ve used all these products and they’re all great individually, but together, they’re like Photoshop for your face.  I love how perfect the set makes my skin look and how well it photographs while I’m wearing them, especially since it’s not a lengthy process – I can do it in the morning in less than five minutes, so it’s super easy.

To celebrate the launch, MAKE UP FOR EVER is hosting its first ever open casting call to find the next model for their Unretouched ad campaign.  Women can create their own makeup look and then submit it for consideration here.  All of the finalists will get their photos posted on Facebook and the winner will be flown to NYC for a professional photo shoot in late February.

In addition, they’re also launching an interactive shade finder tool that’s made to help women find their perfect foundation match online.  Such a great idea since that’s always dicey without help, especially when a company offers as many different shades as MAKE UP FOR EVER.  Just go here to try it out for yourself.  Your skin will thank you!

Having been a beauty blogger for over six years now, I’ve been lucky enough to learn from many of the top minds in dermatology about how to keep your skin healthy. There are so many opinions (and myths) out there about the best ways to take care of your skin- but regardless of brand or product affiliation, doctors and scientists all agree on a few important things.

 1.     Wear SPF every day regardless of weather

Everybody knows (hopefully) that hitting the beach without your trusty tube of SPF is a no-no, but doctors advise wearing protection every day regardless of if it’s sunny or not. Lack of sun protection is the leading culprit of a myriad of skin problems for people of all races and skin colors. Even in cloudy weather, harmful rays penetrate your skin causing all kinds of damage from premature aging to spots and pigmentation. In fact, sun damage can happen even if you are indoors by windows or while driving. To be safe, all dermatologists agree that applying a daily SPF is one of the most important things you can do to prevent skin problems.

2. Be gentle with your skincare routine even if you have problematic or oily skin.

I know when I was battling teenage acne, all I wanted to do was strip my skin of any oil by using the harshest products I could find. As it turns out, you’re not doing yourself any favors Not only does overusing harsh products aggravate existing skin problems, it can also cause more issues like tightness, redness, peeling and irritating of healthy skin. Instead, my doctors always recommended offsetting a medicinal product with a gentle moisturizer to help keep the skin calm.

Simple Skincare, a sensitive skincare brand I was introduced to years ago just launched in the USA with a great lineup of gentle products that are perfect for sensitive skin. They are the UK’s No. 1 Facial Skincare brand & have tapped me to be a brand ambassador for them this year. I’m super excited because I really love the products and now my bathroom will always be fully stocked with all the goodies.

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My good friend Jen, who has the skin of a 2-year-old, just tipped me off about the Josie Maran Argan Care for Beautiful Skin kit at Sephora. At only $56, it’s such a good deal. (I mean, a full-size Josie Maran Argan Oil by itself is $48!) It even comes with a pack of one of our favorites makeup removers, Bare Naked Wipes, as well as a cleanser, lip treatment, and blush/lip color.

If you’re an Argan-oil fan, or just need a great lightweight all-purpose moisturizer, don’t miss out. We’ve professed our love for Josie Maran products many times before, and the line continues to exceed our expectations. I can’t wait to get my hands on this … in fact, I won’t wait. I’m going right now, and I might even snag their brand new Josie Maran Argan Balm while I’m at it.

So, confession: I’ve been hoarding eyeliners — specifically Tarte MultiplEYE Lash Enhancing Liquid Liner — and I’ve been holding out on telling you how great it is. I know, I’m a horrible person. Please forgive me. On the bright side, I don’t think I’m alone; they’re frequently “out of stock” at tartecosmetics.com and celebrity makeup artists like Amy Nadine (Lauren Conrad, Kate Bosworth, Krysten Ritter) loooove them. (more…)

In the week leading up to the Golden Globes, all I can think about is Marilyn Monroe’s style. Actress Michelle Williams may face tough competition for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical (she’s nominated along with Jodie Foster, Charlize Theron, Kristen Wiig and Kate Winslet); but when it comes to who played the character with the highest chic factor, Michelle wins hands down.

Here, my favorite ways to channel Marilyn’s timeless look (clockwise): (more…)

I can’t wait to book my next mani-pedi with the new early spring 2012 Jet Set resort collection from Le Métier de Beauté. The 3-Free nail colors (ShocKEN Pink, Not So Safe Orange and Yield to Yellow) are hot, hot, hot!

Curated by Neiman Marcus Fashion Director Ken Downing, the collection features creamy, highly pigmented primary colors and bold neons that will go almost anywhere — and with anything. While trips to Bora Bora and Miami seem to have inspired the color palette, the 80-degree January weather in L.A. seems fitting. (I know, I’m bragging … but I can so see them with snow, too! What do you think?)

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