Beauty

I always forget just how very much I love Chanel until I get my hands on their new products and then I fall in love all over again.  And that’s exactly how I feel about the items I tried from their new summer collection – in love.  (more…)

Guys, did you know that this is the summer of love for oils in the beauty world? You can’t flip through a magazine these days without talk of oils everywhere for your hair, body, and shower. In accordance, move your lotions and gels to the side, because the newest/Euro-hip way to moisturize and get that gleamy “I just stepped off a yacht in Croatia” look are with these super-duper fragrant oils. Your face is the only place oil doesn’t belong this summer (which I’ll address in a separate post), but for everywhere else, lather up and enjoy the hassle-free ways to tame flyaway hairs, add subtle shimmer, and look sun-kissed and dewy all over.

1. Nuxe Huile Prodigeuse – The French are so chic that their across-the-pond counterpart to our Johnson & Johnson Baby Lotion is this beautifully scented, all-over body oil. It’s the kind of thing you find in high quality, utilitarian French pharmacies, and stocked in the medicine cabinets of je ne sais quoi women. Aliza Jabes, the original founder, was a young mother looking for a multipurpose skincare solution, and created a line of natural, luxury products. The dry oil is their top seller and has a lightly perfumed scent that comes from the six precious plant oils (borage, St. John’s Wort, sweet almond, camellia, hazelnut, macadamia) that make up 98.9% of the ingredients. I use it after stepping out of the shower to moisturize my legs and the combination of heat and the dry oil texture practically melts it into my skin. It leaves behind a light glossy sheen that calls to mind less Miami bodybuilder, more Beyonce music video glam (even with my non-caramel Twilight pallor), with a airbrushed, seamless look. I also love putting a few drops in a hot bath and sitting back to luxuriate in the heady, musky scent. It comes in two types, the original and a golden shimmer, which Space NK associates tell me they regularly sell out of in the summertime. It’s also supposed to work miracles on stretch marks with clinical trials showing improvement up to 33%. All in all, it’s a wonder oil. (more…)

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Don’t let the compact packaging of Lancome’s new limited edition Star Bronzer Aquastick fool you- it’s a classic example of great things coming in small packages.  In fact, the super portable nature of the packaging is just one of the reasons why this product is so genius.  Here are some others:

- The sheer color makes accidentally over bronzing virtually impossible
- The silky gel formulation is super blendable and naturally radiant- no more of that flat, matte powder bronze
- Controlled and clean application with the gel stick, no loose powders all over your clothes
- No tools needed to apply
- And what I love most about this product: the ‘aqua’ in ‘Aquastick’ is for real. Applying this product feels like a burst of cool water on your face and is incredibly refreshing for a hot summer day

It’s easy to see why this is my favorite new bronzer of the season- and perhaps of all time.  Obsessed indeed!  To find out more, check out Lancome’s official website.

When I first saw that celebrity hair stylist and extension expert Tina Dizon charged up to four figures for hair extensions, my eyes almost fell out of my head. But after meeting her and experiencing her Beverly Hills salon, The Private Room, I quickly got why people go out of their way to see her. Not only is she a former top stylist and lead educator at the legendary Umberto Beverly Hills, she is incredibly fun, stylish and down-to-earth. Those qualities are reflected not only in her staff but also in the salon’s chic black and white interior (Tina has a penchant for interior design). Here are her latest obsessions: (more…)

Given this mushy, grey New York spring we’re having, I couldn’t be more ready for a bronzed, hot summer.  Lately I’ve been reaching for the NARS summer collection where I’m really loving the warm earth tones and shimmers as well as the complementary color purple, which has turned out to be one of the biggest makeup trends this season.

My favorites from the collection are the Ramatuelle Trio Eyeshadow (silver, icy peach, warm apricot), The Calabria Soft Touch Shadow Pencil (shimmering plum), Buenos Aires Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil (nude beige pink) and the Trouville Nail Polish (seashell pink). As you can tell from my picks from the collection, I am really loving a nude face with a flash of purple on the lids.  (more…)

Dear TDO,

I’m a have-it-all kind of girl. When I go out, I like to have my kale and my truffle macaroni and cheese. I like learning about Hermes Birkin dimensions as much as I like reading about Warren Buffett. I find David Einhorn and David Beckham equally fascinating. But the problem is, I haven’t been able to have-it-all with my shampoo. Despite a terrible stint with Tony the Tiger highlights, I’m addicted to coloring my hair. But all the shampoos I see are single service, they’re volumnizing, clarifying, hydrating, anti-frizz, pro-shine, OR they’re sulfate-free and meant for color treated hair. How do I get the “and”? Can’t my hair be protected against color fading, brassiness, and look like it could go on to star in a JLo music video? Help me! And no, washing my hair twice with two different separate shampoos is not an acceptable option.

Sincerely,

Me

Dear Me. Of course there is a solution! You didn’t think the beauty gods would let you down, right? They talked to the genius people at L’Oreal to found Pureology, serious color care. They can help you have-it-all in all all aspects of your life, including haircare. Each of their seven shampoo lines contain zero sulfates, their exclusive anti-Fade formula, and are dual benefit with volumnizing, hydrating, repair, smoothing, anti-aging, purifying, or protectionist (against extremely lifted hair) actions. They’re like a friends with benefits that actually works without the messy repercussions. I particularly like the Pure Volume line. A little known secret about shampooing is that most people over shampoo their hair. Color treated hair already has a tendency to be drier than untreated hair, so you need at most a pea-sized amount to wash your whole head. A tiny dab of Pure Volume shampoo produces enough lather for my long hair and the formula is gentle enough that I don’t feel guilty washing my hair in consecutive days following gym workouts. If anything, I like to spend more time on conditioner, combing it through the ends, an area that doesn’t benefit from natural moisture. And after towel-drying, my hair has enough bounce, softness, and oomph that I can see all the layers and dimension of my haircut from four months ago. And the color? Still non-brassy. In a consumer shampoo test, 86% of clients agreed that Pureology helped maximize color retention. And if you’re not satisfied? Pureology offers a money back guarantee, within four weeks of purchase.

You’re welcome.

Can you believe it’s already time for summer makeup?  I know it’s May and in theory, I should be not at all surprised that all the summer collections are everywhere, but I still am.  I feel like spring just flew by, plus I’m in NJ at the moment for a wedding and it’s chilly and raining, so summer doesn’t seem to be here at all.  Luckily, I got my hands on two of the new Smashbox summer releases to warm me up and get me excited for the coming season.

The Shades of Fame Reflection High Shine Lip Gloss Set is a collection of five new lipglosses just begging to be worn with a bathing suit.  They definitely live up to the shiny name, which I enjoy in a gloss, and they come in a nice range of colors – everything from hot pink to a bronze to a lighter pink perfect for the daytime.  I really like the hot pink shade.  My two favorite colors this summer are shaping up to be orange/coral and hot pink, so that one will slide nicely into the rotation.

The Shades of Fame Eye Palette & Brush is also new for summer and looks a lot like the Softbox Eye Palette from earlier this year, but with different shades of shadow.  The Softbox palette had more neutral shades in it though – this one has some neutrals in it as well, but it also has a few brighter shades that are fun to play around with and use as accent colors.  (I’m especially digging the olive green and teal shades).  You can create a ton of different looks with the colors included, so it’s nice to take along on a trip.  I also really like the two shades of cream liner that come inside and the Mini Photo Finish Lid Primer that’s included too.  They’re all welcome additions that make it easy to tote around and get a complete eye look with.  Just add mascara and you’re all set to go!

Stila’s palettes are some of my favorites around because they always have a ton of great shades in them and they’re never outrageously priced.  You know how sometimes you see a makeup product on the shelves and get all excited and then see how much it’s going to cost and realize that it’s not coming home with you?  That almost never happens to me with Stila and it makes me like them even more.  I’ve been playing around with their In The Garden Palette for awhile now and I’m loving it as much as the similar In The Light Palette that I bought months ago and have used a ton.  It’s the same style palette, just with different shades, and while the In The Light Palette leaned towards neutral shades, In The Garden has a few neutrals accented with bold shades that give you a bright pop of color when you use them.

Juniper is probably my favorite shade in the palette.  It’s a deep, shimmery forest green and it’s just super pretty.  It’s perfect for a twist on the classic smoky eye using green instead of black or grey.  I also really like the other green shade, Moss, because it’s a lighter olive green with shimmer so it’s more work appropriate.  There’s also a very pretty deep violet-blue called Freesia that I really like because it makes my green eyes pop when I use it.  The great thing about the palette is that you can use the lighter neutral shades to accent the brighter ones or to tone them down if you’d like, so it’s really a great palette to travel with since it gives you so many options.  (I actually have both In The Garden and In The Light with me on a trip at the moment.  I just couldn’t leave them behind!)  Both palettes retail for only $39, which is a great price for ten different shades.  Pick one (or both!) of them up for yourself – you won’t regret it!

A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine stood in front of a rack of Simple Skincare products in Duane Reade, looked at them and then left because she didn’t know what to buy. Later she texted me and said she really wanted to try the line, but didn’t know what worked for her. Of course, I offered up my favorites, but I also realized that what works for my skin doesn’t necessarily work for everyone else.

Luckily, the folks over at Simple Skincare put together a handy new (and free!) Skin Health Consultation quiz to help you figure out exactly what products you need. Though the quiz is short, it’s also very specific and delivers the advice customized to your skin type. Don’t know if you have combination skin? Exactly how sensitive is your skin? Not sure what a T-Zone is? No worries- the quiz doesn’t throw around any beauty lingo- it just asks you the basics like “Is your forehead oily?” The one question that did get me- “How many glasses of water do you drink per day?” I’m ashamed to state the answer! (more…)