Beauty

Eyes will always be the proverbial windows to our souls, but sometimes those window dressings need a little pick-me-up! Dermadoctor’s Photodynamic Eye Therapy does just that with a potent formula to relax fine lines and tighten lids while reducing puffy eyes and lifting sagging lids. Thought you couldn’t see improvements without the scary thought of a scalpel and anesthetic? I am terrified of any type of surgery, and gladly welcome any alternative that will show any visible differences. Before Dermadoctor Photodynamic Eye Therapy, I was dubious of creams and treatments. I started trying the cream on a few desperate mornings where I didn’t get enough sleep (grrr…) or had a bit too much salt for dinner the previous night, resulting in unsightly bags and puffy eyelids. The cream absorbed readily without any greasy residue, and after a few minutes of tingling (not harsh stinging), I finished brushing my teeth and voila! I felt like I was in college again after an all nighter and it only took a splash of cold water to restore my visage (if only I could get my metabolism back too). Now I can revisit those days minus the exams and stress, thanks to Dermadoctor’s Eye Lift. After using the Eye Lift regularly for a month, I can report firmer and healthier skin around my eyes, and a reduction in under-eye swelling.  (more…)

I have a little ritual I’ll share with you: every week when I’m home and ready to start the weekend, I do an exfoliation and pamper myself in the shower before switching to my “weekend wear.” It is a way of rewarding myself for getting through the stress of the work week and then leaving it all behind. I’m currently obsessed with celebrity skin specialist Kate Somerville’s Exfolikate Gentle Exfoliating Treatment (gotta love the name), which is a gentle formulation of beads that can be added to your regular cleanser. ‘Gentle’ is also the key word here  –  I have sensitive skin, so I need something that can still give me that post-scrub glow, while not taking off a whole layer of my skin. Exfolikate’s microbeads work in combination with papya, pumpkin, and pineapple enzymes to oxygenate and lift dead skin delicately without causing redness. Other ingredients such as Vitamin A helps fade discolorations (darn sun spots!) and caffeine helps to improve micro-circulation. I squeeze a small bean size amount of the blue scrubby and mix with one of my cleansers, depending on what my skin needs that day . My skin feels oh-so-soft following a 2-minute scrubbing session while I’m enjoying my steam shower.

I first heard about Kate Somerville when Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Demi Moore, and a slew of other Hollywood beauties started swearing by her name. Seeing how flawless their skin looks is testament enough for me! Somerville has mastered the art of the ageless face, and exfoliating is an indispensable step in decongesting, detoxifying, and polishing. I love how smooth and invigorated my skin is immediately after using this product, and even have to resist touching it for the rest of the day!

Now this is exciting!  Remember that fabulous PixieDust collection that Zoya put out earlier this year? Well, it was so popular that they just released a set of six new Summer PixieDust shades and they’re every bit as gorgeous as the first collection, just in brighter, in more colorful shades perfect for the hot weather. Here are the six new shades you’ll be obsessed with:

• Solange – A glittering pale yellow
• Beatrix – A glittering light orange
• Destiny – A glittering pink-orange (pictured)
• Miranda – A glittering raspberry
• Stevie – A glittering lavender
• Liberty – A glittering dark aqua blue

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I’m not a betting woman …but I’ll bet that if I took a poll and asked readers if feel like they lead a stressful lifestyle, I’d get more yeses than noes. The sad fact is, I don’t know anyone who isn’t stressed out on a regular basis by something — be it work, exams, relationships, new baby, or kids in general. As if just being stressed isn’t already bad enough, it’s also pretty much a guarantee that the negative effects of stress will manifest itself on your face — in the form of fatigue, redness and unevenness, breakouts and dehydration. Thanks a lot stress hormones! And the kicker: odds are high than when we’re stressed, we also pay less attention to our skincare routines, making our already suffering skin even worse.

Well Kiehl’s is here to rescue us stressed folks and if we know anything about Kiehl’s, we know that they’re really great at saving our skin (and sanity). The newly launched, and aptly named Skin Rescuer Stress- Minimizing Daily Hydrator, uses highly effective ingredients to address many of the skin conditions that are caused by stress. In order to do this, Kiehl’s chemists identified a three step process (which thankfully, they rolled into 1 great product): calm and hydrate the skin, limit inflammation, and protect the skin barrier from future reactions. To sooth already-stressed skin, the new moisturizer uses chamomile extract to calm, glycerin to deliver immediate moisture, and shea butter to help keep hydration in. The product also contains Rosa Gallica, a flower extract, which has been proven to act as an anti-inflammatory agent and helps to keep reactions like redness and blotchiness in check. Finally, studies have shown that stressed skin is weak skin, so the moisturizer packs a trio of ingredients designed to replenish lipids and straighten the skin barrier. The result is that redness is minimized, skin is kept supple, hydrated and protected.

We love that Kiehl’s designed this as a daily moisturizer, because frankly that gives us one less thing to stress out about. Our four week test trial has shown that this is a very pleasant product indeed: we love that it’s lightweight, fragrance free, moisturizes thoroughly  and has noticeably reduced unevenness and splotches in some areas. Sadly, they haven’t figured out a way to make me feel less stressed yet overall (damn deadlines always!), but at least I no longer have to look like it.

To learn more check out Kiehls.com.

For me, happy hour is any hour where I’m getting a professional blowout. Luckily, ever since DryBar opened here in New York a couple years ago, I’ve been treating myself to waaaayyy more happy hours than usual (plus their services come with free champagne, so it really is happy). Even the pre-blowout wash at DryBar is really great — I always feel like my hair is softer, cleaner, and smoother after a professional shampoo. Recently the brand launched a collection of hair products and tools — the same goods used at their salons — for at home use, so now my happy hours have turned into happy mornings in the shower. Despite having tried all kinds of shampoos and conditioners, I still felt like there’s was a need for a really good daily use set (one that you don’t get tired of after a few washes), and DryBar has stepped in to create just the perfect one. Regardless of hair texture, every beauty editor I’ve talked to who has tried the products has raved about it, and I can definitely see why.

The shampoo and conditioner duo, aptly named Happy Hour, are formulated around the philosophy that a really great style starts clean, nurtured hair that isn’t weighed down by grease, oil, dirt, or excessive products. The Blowout Shampoo is a gentle shampoo that is extremely effective at cleaning hair and removing leftover product and residue. Even though it’s sulfate and paraben free (yay!), it still does an amazing job of lathering and covers my entire head with just a nickle-sized amount of product. It rinses off easily leave my hair feeling clean, but never squeaky or dry. (more…)

I’ve been looking for weeks for a great roll-on perfume oil — and I’ve finally found it! New Jurlique Essence of Rose Roll-on Fragrance Oil is simple, easy to carry and now, a permanent staple on my office desk!

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This time of year is the perfect time to invest in fantastic body scrubs and moisturizers to get your skin ready for the warmer weather ahead. My choices this season are from Tocca, whom I love for their consistently amazing scents.

I’ve been testing out the Esfoliante da Corpo in Giulietta ($32), and my goodness, it is good. This paraben-free sugar scrub uses natural oils including grapeseed, olive and safflower that helps leave skin feeling super soft. It is delicately scented with pink tulip and green apple, which is surprisingly not too sweet. My skin has never looked better coming out of the shower!

I follow up it up with Tocca’s Crema da Corpo in Stella ($20), one of my all-time favorite scents from the brand. The Crema da Corpo lotions incorporate sweet almond oil, shea butter and honey — a combination that richly moisturizes and soothes any dry patches you may have. Stella is their signature Italian blood orange fragrance, and I love how the scent lingers on my skin post-application. The lotion also absorbs quickly so I can throw on my clothes shortly after using it.

It’s been a few weeks now, and my skin is looking so much better than it has all year… finally ready to show itself with short sleeves and flirty spring dresses!

The blooming of the Cherry Blossoms always makes me catch my breath, no matter how many times I’ve stood among the flutters of pink petals floating around like a cloud. There’s nothing like the sight of graceful branches hanging over still water and the sweet scent of new blossoms to make you tingle with excitement for warm spring weather. I’m not stranger to cherry blossoms living in Washington DC, but I can only imagine the blooms in the Provence region in the south of France, my favorite place in the entire world. L’Occitane’s Spring Cherry Eau de Toilette captures the magic and beauty with the breezy scent of spring and takes you to Luberon, a French town known for its culinary scene and physical beauty. Cherry trees dot the landscape in the spring among olive trees and summer lavender. The eau de toilette mingles the fresh floral scent of a Provençal cherry orchard with woody notes and a base of musk. (more…)

One of my favorite things to do on vacay (besides relax and drink margaritas obviously) is experiment with makeup. No one knows me (hopefully!) and I can try new things that I wouldn’t normally have time to do when rushing out for dinner after work. I toted Estee Lauder’s new Limited Edition Pure Five Color Eyeshadow Palette in Batik Sun with me to Mexico, and it was the perfect color scheme to celebrate the clear blue ocean and orange sunrise (yes, sunrise!). The palette is part of their annual Bronze Goddess collection and the colors can be seen modeled by the goddess herself, Hillary Rhoda. I admit that these colors are not ones I’d normally choose (I love my neutral palette), but just opening the golden compact is akin to discovering treasure — brilliant teal, gold, and nude shades that add drama to any look. The neat thing is that the finishes range from matte to shimmer, so layering is encouraged and gives the eyes an added dimension.

Let me give some attention to the most exciting shade in the box — the turquoise immediately brings to mind summer and surf! I was a tad wary of wearing blue on my eyes, but it looks really beautiful when applied and then layered with the gold shimmer. Turn the volume on this vibrant shade up or down by draping the whole lid, or just applying with a liner brush along the lashline. The dark brown (with the EL logo) can be used as a brow definer or just above the lashes for an evening look. There are so many exciting combinations that the range can move from highlighting features to making an off-runway statement with bold color. I’d recommend checking out the colors in a department store near you, because with this type of color, computer screens always distort. This compact forced me to think outside the box, and my summer is looking brighter because of it!

We are all too familiar with winter skin woes, but now it’s finally spring and the warmer weather and milder conditions mean we don’t have to worry too much about our skincare anymore, right? Sadly, wrong. As it turns out spring (allergy season anyone??!) brings with it its own set of skin challenges — but don’t worry, we’ve outlined a few must-do’s so your skin can be as happy as you are this season.

1. Exfoliate more. Wintery conditions make skin dull and sallow, so make sure to exfoliate during this transition period to unveil soft, radiant skin. However, it’s important to make sure you don’t overdo it — be sure to use an extra gentle product that won’t hurt your skin. We love the Simple’s Skincare Smoothing Facial Scrub, which is formulated with hypoallergenic rice granules and is effective at removing surface dead cells without causing pain or irritation. (more…)