Beauty

Prestige skincare brand SK-II, famous for their miracle ingredient Pitera has just gotten even more luxe with the newest additions to their LXP line. LXP which stands for “luxury multipled by Pitera” are the brand’s creme de la creme (no pun intended) products which contain the most amount of Pitera.  What does Pitera do again? A quick refresher- this patented ingredient derived from sake yeast by SK-II scientists after they noticed that Japanese workers’ hands were unusually youthful after working with the yeast, promises long lasting hydration, speeds up the skin’s own natural rejuvenation process, and acts like an antioxidant – all contributing to a more youthful appearance with continual use.  And judging by the legions of SK-II fans who flock to the line, Pitera and the line of products which contain it, really do work. (more…)

Jennifer Aniston is not one of those celebrity fragrances. By that, I mean the kind you suspect you smell when you are crammed on the 6 train, sardine-style, next to someone whose eau is so repellent that you assume she must be wearing Mermaid’s Fatal Kiss or something similarly named from Paris Hilton. Jennifer Aniston is the kind of scent that is so warm, summery, and subtle (a word you rarely hear attached to any celebrity), that people act genuinely surprised when you tell them it’s the Jennifer Aniston perfume (cue similar reactions with Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely and Gwen Stefani L.A.M.B.)

True to Aniston’s image, the fragrance is total beach girl. It’s the perfume equivalent of that trick of being able to hear the ocean through a seashell, except in smell. My favorite thing about it is the strong jasmine top note. Jasmine was a strong scent memory for Aniston, who grew up smelling blooming night jasmine on warm summer evenings in California. Despite not growing up in California (cough, New Jersey), my mom and I had a mini jasmine tree of our own, and I spent two summers trying to make jasmine flower pressed bookmarks a thing (remember when pressing flowers was a blatant girl hobby?), before I finally gave up. The jasmine flowers never stayed pressed or completely came apart, but the essential oils and the scent are the one thing that did linger.

Mixed in with the jasmine are robust notes of amber and sandalwood, which add a touch of musky saltiness to cut through the sweetness of the jasmine.  This is the kind of scent I want wafting through my room on a night so breezily warm you can sleep without the air conditioner on and the windows open (Jennifer, please start working on a scented candle for this–stat!)  The fragrance retails starting at $39 and you can find it here.

It’s official: despite what anyone says, red lipstick isn’t “the trend of the season”- by now, it’s about as iconic as the little black dress.  A must have for every gal.  Of course now comes the hard part- figuring out what works.  I’m a big believer that all kinds of reds work for all kinds of people- the trick being, that you have to feel confident when rocking the red.  Below, I round up some of my current favorite shades with little tips on how to wear each.

The Classic Red: NARS Red Lizard

This is what NARS Red Lizard looks like on me- and I think it’s about as true a red as you can get. It’s rich and vivid and makes a bold statement, but classic enough to wear during the day.  The best thing about this lipstick (aside from the color) is the semi-matte texture and pigment that stays- all while providing moisture that keeps your lips looking and feeling soft and supple all day and night. If you buy one red lipstick, this would be it.

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Yes, I like MUD on my lashes. That is Mud Cream Mascara from Make-up Designory. If you’re looking for a new fangled mascara invention that vibrates, combs, and dyes your lashes blue using the genius of MIT engineers, this isn’t it. But if you are looking for a simple mascara formula that works, you’ve come to the right place. Something about this mascara is very 50s glam (my favorite era of glam) and I think it’s because unlike current day liquid formulas which are on the liquid, goop-y (not related to Gwyneth) side, MUD’s formulation is creamier and drier, like the cake mascara used by MGM starlets in the days of yore. Remember in black-and-white movies when Joan Crawford and Marilyn (no last name needed) would apply mascara by swiping a fan-shaped brush through a tin of black “cake”?  This is like a grandchild of that original formulation, retaining all the original benefits of its grandmother, with 21st century convenience in packaging and ease of application.

Lashes by MUD are full, super pliable, smudge-proof, non-sticky, and so buildable that you can easily apply three to four coats without them feeling like a dried out, crinkled mess.  You know how the cardinal rule of mascara-ing and curling is that you are supposed to curl before and not after to minimize lash breakage?  Well, sometimes a girl with stick straight lashes (me) needs a little more oomph in their lashes and breaks this rule sometimes (often.) MUD’s non-sticky formula  is an especial blessing in this case because individual lashes don’t stick to the curler or get glomped up together, and I can breathe a silent prayer to the beauty gods for allowing me to enjoy my intact lashes for another day.

The old-fashioned nylon full bristled brush that comes with each tube (squeezable!) separates and evenly coats each lash from root to tip.  The unique squeeze tube also minimizes air exposure and prevents the formula from drying out.  The mascara retails for $14 and can be found here.

For those of you still on the hunt for a fabulous neutral palette, LORAC has a great entry in their spring collection.  Unzipped comes with ten shadows in shades ranging from the light vanilla Undercover to the dark chocolate brown Untamed and every shade in between.  Basically, it covers every shade variation in the brown family that you could ever want.  It’s a really versatile palette because you can use it for both daytime and nighttime looks, plus the finishes range from shimmers to mattes, so you get a nice cross-section of shadows to choose from.  The shadows themselves have nice pigmentation and blend easily, making the palette a good bargain at only $40.  They’ve also made it easy to pack, since it’s pretty thin and made of cardboard (with the cutest fake zipper on the cover to go with the name).  It even comes with a mini Behind the Scenes Eye Primer, which makes me very happy because I always want to take eye primer with me when I travel, but the big sizes are way too bulky.  This one’s perfect.  It’s like LORAC knew I was finally going on a vacation and hooked me up!

Also new for spring are LORAC’s Lips With Benefits glosses.  Love these!  They’re available in four different shades – Alex (a berry color), Josh (a fresh pink), Nick (a light pink shimmer) and Mark (a neutral peach).  They have a mix of açaí berry, pomegranate extract, and Vitamin C and Vitamin E in them, so they’re super moisturizing, plus they’re  not that sticky for a gloss, which I appreciate.  The most fun thing about them is the design in the tube.  They all have a pattern to them (that probably isn’t the right word to use to describe it, but I couldn’t think of a better one).  It’s like a zigzag of another shade in the actual color, which not only looks cool, but lets you mix it in with the wand for a subtle change in color.  (Although I have to admit, I like the way it looks too much to actually do that – it’s too pretty to mess up!)  The glosses are scented with a crème brûlée fragrance that makes me happy every time I sniff it (and hungry!)  Is it time for dessert yet?

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. I was bound to get it someday. After getting my first taste of their amazingly addictive Lip Tars in celebrity makeup artist Kristie Streicher‘s chair this week, I instantly got some retail therapy. (Ahhhh.) Now, I’m considering buying the whole collection. (Um, does anyone have $300?)

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Okay, I admit it.  I’m one of the only people in the world who hasn’t read any of The Hunger Games books, but in my defense, I’ve been really busy.  (Plus, I’m going on vacation in April and I kind of want to put the trilogy on my Kindle for the long plane rides.)  Regardless of that though, I’m super excited about the new Capital Colours collection of nail polishes from China Glaze.  It’s a 12 piece collection that was inspired by The Hunger Games books and will be available in early March, but I was lucky enough to get 6 of the shades sent to me early and I’ve been having so much fun playing around with them.  (more…)

Have you heard? Eyeko London — the brand behind Adele’s favorite mascara — has hit select Sephora stores in the U.S. (Pause for squeal.)

The cult fave — which also counts Alexa Chung, Courtney Cox and Emma Roberts among its growing celebrity fan base — is known for its amazing eye makeup products and its Mascara Wardrobe, a collection of formulas and brushes designed to let you tailor your results.

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The Oscars are over, but after several nail-biting Oscar pools, my nails could use some serious red carpet treatment. A big thank you goes out to Julep, who anticipated this by sending over their gorgeous Julep Oscars Collection. With seven luxuriously rich shades, it’s hard to choose which one to wear first; but since Meryl Streep won Best Actress, I think I’ll start with her “natural, sophisticated gray crème.” (It also goes with my Julep “What’s Your Style?” quiz result: Classic, with a twist.) The Oscars Collection includes: (more…)

We’ve partnered with Daily Makeover to bring you the low down on hair trends this Oscar season. Below we re-post their article on how you can recreate some of the best Oscar hairstyles.

We finally made it the most glamourous awards show of the year: the Oscars! Just as we expected, we saw some gorgeous gowns and amazing hairstyles. While we can’t help you score a vintage Dior dress, we have great tips to get your hair looking red-carpet ready. Wella Professionals was responsible for some of the best looks of the night, and now their celebrity stylists are sharing their tips on how they created these hot Hollywood hairstyles.

Michelle Williams
Michelle’s pixie is very modern and sophisticated chic. The hair has just enough texture to make the look sweet, yet edgy.  (more…)