My Favorite Things from 2007

Dec 31 by Carla Filed Under: Chit Chat

It’s that time of year again, when we all start to reflect on the past year. As with last year, I’m joining my fellow beauty/fashion bloggers and recapping a few of my favorite things from 2007.

Vincent Longo Lip Stains As a girl with a huge obsession with lip stains, this one took the cake for me this year. I stalked every Sephora in my area waiting for Vincent Longo’s Pearlessence Gel Stains to come in and when they finally did, it was love. This lipstain is great, it gives your lips some shimmer but it can also double as a great cheek color with some shimmer as well. Lipcolor and a highlighter in one? Who knew.

Lorac Perfectly Lit Oil Free Luminizing Powder I have to thank Sephora’s Beauty Insider program for this product. I first tried Lorac’s Perfectly Lit Oil Free Luminizing Powder as a deluxe sample and when it was finally gone, I bought a full sized version of the product. I love the shades that this product comes in, it’s a great match for my skin tone and it gives me a very pretty glow. Not only that, it blends in very well and doesn’t settle.

Ineke's After My Own Heart I would have never found this perfume on my own so I have to thank my friend for that. We swapped some perfume for makeup and I came away with this lovely perfume. It’s Ineke’s After My Own Heart and it features top notes of bergamot, raspberry and crisp green foliage, middle note of lilac and base notes of sandalwood, heliotrope and musk. All of this makes for a very freshing lilac scent. Lilac is my favorite flower but I often find most lilac scents to be too rich and overpowering. It’s not that way at all with this scent. I love the way it lingers on my skin and clothes, it’s just delicious.

Chanel's Lotus Rouge Nail Colour This year marked the first time I tried Chanel products. One of my very favorite of those products was the fall collections’s Lotus Rouge nail color. I’ve been wearing this gorgeous red shade on my hands and toes over and over again and I’m about to go for another round in just a little bit. I’ve read some opinions that this polish chips too easily but I haven’t found that to be a problem at all. Let’s hope that it continues to stay that way.

Bond No, 9 Chinatown candle This is another revelation that I have to thank my friend for, Bond No. 9′s Chinatown candle. I had never really experienced Bond No. 9 fragrances until I smelled this candle and it really opened my eyes to the wonder that is Bond No. 9. The Chinatown scent features notes of peach blossom, gardenia, tuberose, patchouli and cardamom. This makes for a beautiful floral with just the right touch of spice. Something about this scent is so sexy to me, I love burning this candle, so much that I burn it very sparingly.

For more favorite things from 2007, go visit these amazing bloggers:

Pucker Up

Dec 28 by bluue Filed Under: Makeup, Napoleon Perdis

“Plump up the Volume” is the quote on the tube of Napoleon Perdis Love Bite Lip Plump in Passion. Napoleon is one of the new lip products that have come out on the market that promise to plump up your lips to give them the “pout” that we are all coveting.

Napoleon Perdis Love Bite Lip Plump Now I don’t know about you, but the only way I have seen and actually tried to get significantly fuller lips is by injecting them with Restylane–and let me tell you it is painful. But there is no other way, I have found, to duplicate that look with so-called Lip Plumpers, glosses, injectors, etc. I have tried numerous products out on the market, and haven’t been too impressed.

Napoleon Perdis’ newest contains Capsicum Pepper and Cinnamon to stimulate and swell lips, while menthol soothes and jojoba to smooth. This plumper comes in a tube shaped applicator with a slanted tip, that makes it very convenient to apply sans mirror. It went on as a tingling high-shine gloss that was not extremely uncomfortable and lasted quite a while. What surprised me though, was the pretty cotton-candy pink color that looked great on its own or layered over lipstick.

Smoky Eyes

Dec 27 by bluue Filed Under: Elizabeth Arden, Makeup

Who knew Elizabeth Arden had such noteworthy products? I’m absolutely positive that I am in the minority, but to be honest, it was never my go- to brand of choice. I usually associated it with my mother or grandmother’s brand of makeup. Granted, I am fully aware of how big and prestigious of a company it is, as well as its legendary status, but like I said, I never went to actually purchase a product. This might change though, with my newest find, the Smoky Eyes Powder Pencil.

This is a “long wearing pencil for a soft powder finish.” Nothing new or revolutionary about this product, just a great, strong eye pencil. It goes on smoothly without having to tug too hard at the eye. The great thing about this pencil is the smudge tip at the other end. Not only is it convenient, but it is great for creating that smoky eye look that is so ever popular for those slinky nights on the town. My color of choice is Espresso, which is a nice, dark brown that is rich in pigment. There is no shimmer, glitter or sparkle in it, just a great basic brown that can be worn day or night. It stayed put and was still going strong throughout the evening.

Get 20% Off at Beauty.com Today Only

Dec 26 by Carla Filed Under: Shopping

Doing some after Christmas shopping today?

I know I’m doing a little bit of that, trying to get some of those after Christmas bargains and so far I have scored a few. Beauty.com has got us covered for today with a 20% off for today only. To take advantage of this discount, click here. But hurry, the offer ends at 11:59pm EST. Make sure you check out the gifts with purchase page as well to get even more goodies.

Lash Lust

Dec 26 by bluue Filed Under: Elizabeth Arden, Makeup

This weekend was all about Vegas Baby—cold, dry, desert weather mixed with smoke and long nights. Luckily, I was able to procure my newest find – Elizabeth Arden Lash Extending Treatment Mascara.

Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Lash Extending Mascara I am not sure if this product is new, but I don’t know where this little gem has been hiding! As I have mentioned before, I am addicted to mascaras, always on the hunt for the latest and greatest. This definitely fits into that category. The mascara has a “Ceramide Triple Complex” which in laymen’s terms means helps lengthen, define and revitalize lashes. I would also add thickening to the list because my lashes never looked fuller. This product also has “Kervais ” which is a conditioning ingredient that is supposed to help strengthen and fortify lashes. Now one thing I am certain of is that I have never noticed if a mascara has “softened, strengthened or fortified” my lashes. How does one test that?

All I know is that my lashes were longer, thicker and almost faux looking after a few coats. As an added bonus, the mascara didn’t smudge, flake or clump as I was dancing the night away.

Faux False Lashes

Dec 21 by Christina Filed Under: Lancome, Makeup

As a woman, I feel like I am constantly faking things: fake nails, fake hair, fake perky boobs. Recently, I was accused by several people of wearing fake lashes – the horror! They couldn’t believe that my naturally limp, thin blonde lashes could possibly look as good as a set of falsies. Well, that’s probably because I have a secret weapon that allows me to create this illusion. Three essential products help me achieve the look: a lash curler, primer, and mascara.

Diorshow Mascara, Cils Booster Primer and Shu Uemura eyelash curler

First, I use the tried and true classic, Shu Uemura lash curler to lift my lashes up and grab every last hair. Next, I use my favorite lash primer, Lancome Cils Booster. It allows mascara to bind to the primer, not your lashes. This creates more volume, and permits less smudging. Over time, Cils Booster causes your natural lashes grow a little healthier, due to the conditioners within it, like vitamin E. Before the primer dries, I apply my favorite mascara, DiorShow in black. I have experimented with other versions of DiorShow (Waterproof, Blackout, and Unlimited) and I ultimately love the original. I apply a couple of coats of the DiorShow and am left with the most beautiful, “natural” faux false lashes.

8 Hour Pleasure

Dec 20 by bluue Filed Under: Elizabeth Arden, Skincare

I had the pleasure of trying out a new spin on a legendary skin cream. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Intensive Moisturizing Hand Treatment Cream (wow that is a word full!) is an addition to the legendary 8 Hour Skincare Collection. I have never used any of the 8 Hour products, but they are mentioned in almost all of the fashion & beauty magazines as a must have for a myriad of remedies.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Intensive Moisturizing Hand Treatment Cream First and most noteworthy is the lovely tube that the cream comes in—it looks so pretty and luxurious that carrying it around just makes you feel special. As for the product – this is an intensely moisturizing gel cream for the hands. It has “micro-encapsulated emollients & Vitamin E” which are meant to soften and soothe the skin. Well this all sounds very fancy, but the bottom line is that this cream works. I used the cream all weekend in 40 degree weather and was pleasantly surprised at how my hands never felt dry. It was fast absorbing and left no sticky reside at all.

One caveat I have though, is the smell. I am not sure how to describe it, but it’s like a natural, earthy type of aroma that wasn’t very exciting. It left a hint of scent on my hands all day and I found myself asking what is that, until I remembered it was the gel cream. I can look beyond the scent though because the cream is that good.

O-Gloss Makes It’s Debut

Dec 19 by Carla Filed Under: Makeup, Smashbox

Smashbox's O-Gloss Smashbox’s O-Gloss lipgloss debuted on QVC earlier today. I was so excited about this that I set my DVR to record the show. The O-Gloss was inspired by the success of their O-Glow cheek gel. The new lip gloss claims to transform to give a custom pink pout that’s universally flattering. It looked great on each model on the show earlier today so I caved in and ordered a tube but we’ll see how it performs. I’ll definitely let you all know how it works once I get it. If you missed today’s 2 Smashbox presentations, don’t fret! You still have time to catch or DVD the 11pm EST presentation. This product will be exclusive to QVC for the time being.

An Oldie but a Goodie

Dec 19 by Christina Filed Under: Skincare, St Tropez

One reason that I love the holidays is that its so much fun dressing up for parties. When else do you get to wear a fabulous satin bejeweled mini-dress? Given the season, it is reasonable to pull off the look with Scarlett-Johansson-like pasty pale legs. I personally choose to go the opposite route.

St. Tropez Self Tanning Lotion A nice subtle tan makes me photograph better, gives me a healthy glow, and most importantly, makes me look 10 pounds thinner. My all-time favorite tanner has to be St. Tropez Tanning Tinted Self Tanning Lotion. Here’s my routine: I shower, exfoliate, wait about 10 minutes to dry off, and then apply moisturizer to dry areas of my skin (elbows, knees, hands). I smoothed the tanner all over my body and at first was alarmed at how dark and streaky it seems going on. My hands almost turned black but it was a good thing that I had St. Tropez Self Tan Remover Packets readily available. They are little disposable pouches filled with a lemony scrub that take off every spec of tanner so that you can avoid the telltale signs of self tanning.

St. Tropez Self Tan Remover I blended the tanner into my wrist so that there wasn’t an obvious delineation in color. I then used the blow dryer on a hot setting to activate the tanner and have it dry faster. After I showered in the morning, I had a beautiful, even, natural-looking tan. It is amazing how streak-free the application is, it’s almost goof proof. I am also impressed by the saturation of golden color that I was able to achieve with only one application. St. Topez is my go-to product when I need an instant boost in color and confidence.

Lip Gloss Couture

Dec 18 by Carla Filed Under: Makeup, Napoleon Perdis

You may have heard of the name Napoleon Perdis but have yet to try one of his line’s products. Now Sephora is giving you the perfect opportunity to get your feet wet with the amazing Napoleon Perdis products with this great lip gloss set.

The Napoleon Perdis Lip Couture gift set contains 5 lip glosses in these amazing vivid colors for only $25. The lip gloss itself is really good with a ton of shine. It’s got a brush applicator instead of a doe foot application and it’s got a really nice texture. It’s a little bit on the thicker side but it’s not the least bit tacky. It’s also very pigmented so you could skip color underneath if you wanted to. I’ve been wearing this lip gloss in Paris lately and it’s a very lovely and light berry shade. This formula also features some plumping agents but it’s not tingly at all, it gives you a pleasant warm sensation on your lips.

We’ll Miss You Gucci Westman

Dec 18 by Carla Filed Under: Lancome, Makeup

Gucci Westman with Thakoon Sadly, Gucci Westman is stepping down as Lancome’s International Artistic Director but is she leaving us with some parting gifts. She’s leaving us with the final lipstick in the Pout-a-Porter series (a collaboration with Thakoon) and the forthcoming L.U.C.I. collection. In her four years with Lancome, she’s created eight color collections and has been an inspiration to many, including myself. I can’t wait to hear about what Miss Westman will be up to next but for now, we’ll have to console ourselves with thoughts of the Thakoon lipstick and the L.U.C.I. collection.

So what does L.U.C.I. stand for? It stands for Luminous Colorless Color Intelligence. Gucci Westman was inspired by the beauty of sand, the iridescence of shells and the play of light on water on the beach so she turned her idea into reality. I’m so excited to see this collection, I’m all about highlighting and shimmer now so this is going to be really fun to play with. This collection includes:

L.U.C.I Eyes – Light Color in Motion Eye Shadow Duo: a shell-shaped eye shadow compact holds two shadows, a bronze and a photonic shade.

Photonic – Illuminating Powder Brush Face: a translucent photonic loose powder that can be used to sculpt the face or add a sheer veil of radiance.

Ombre Glacée – Cooling Gel Illuminator Eyes: a creamy, cooling eye shadow that can be used alone or blended over another color to highlight and brighten the eye area.

Color Fever Gloss: a photonic gloss that can be used as a topcoat over lipstick or one of the two new shades of Color Fever Gloss to transform shades.

Color Fever Shine: two new lipsticks in Luminous (a photonic shade) and Desert Pink. The photonic shade can be used by itself for a reflective lilac effect or place over the deep rasberry shade for a luminous result.

Traceur Design – Illuminating Long-Lasting Eyeliner Soft Brush: an eye liner with photonic lilac reflections to line the eyes.

Now doesn’t that sound like something you’d want to try?

Diamonds Are Forever

Dec 17 by Carla Filed Under: Make Up For Ever, Makeup

If you know someone who likes to shimmer, sparkle and shine, this gift set would make the perfect gift.

Makeup Forever's Diamonds are Forever Gift Set The Makeup Forever Diamonds are Forever limited edition gift set can only be found at Sephora and includes Diamond Powder in Champagne, Diamond Shadow 301, Waterproof Lengthening Mascara in Black, Aqua Eyes shadow/liner in Black and a clear Fascinating Lip Gloss all for $50.

This gift set is a lot of fun to play with. The eyeshadow is intensely pigment and can be used a number of different ways. Also, the Diamond Powder in Champagne has a great mixture of fine, shimmery powder and bigger specks of glitter in it. This makes it great to use all over for a little sparkle during the holidays!

For the Procrastinators

Dec 17 by Carla Filed Under: Bath & Body, Product Body

Every year I tell myself that I’ll start shopping early for my holiday gifts but every year the same thing happens, I wait until the last minute. I’m really good at procrastinating I guess. If you’re like me, you still have time to give some really great gifts. Take these gift sets from Product Body for example, a product line with great products.

The Mini Me Set is a great way to try some of Product Body’s most popular products for a great price. For $29, you can try specially sized versions of Joanna’s Cream and Crush On You and receive a full sized jar of her Whipped Shea Butter. I loved this stuff when I tried it and I put it all over… feet, body, face. It’s available in scrumptious scents: Tangerine Slice and Pecan Praline.

Need something a little more substantial? Try the Softy Galore set. It includes full sized versions of Ski Bomb, Cream and Crush On You for $62. This also comes in the same Tangerine Slice and Pecan Praline scents. What you might not know is that Ski Bomb is a new product, it’s Product Body’s all natural winter skin balm made with shea, cocoa, macadamia and sal butters, beeswax and vitamin E. With all of that packed in one product, imagine how moisturized your skin would feel.

Both sets come in a box perfect for gifting so Product Body is got you covered, all you need to do is order.

Introducing Total Beauty

Dec 6 by Carla Filed Under: Internet

A new beauty website is launching today and it’s called Total Beauty. You may have heard a little bit about it already, it’s been mentioned in this month’s Allure and now WWD but you have to go check it out. It’s a great site and I’m happy that I’ll be apart of it.

What sets Total Beauty apart from other beauty sites you’ve been to is that it’s all about you. One of my favorite features is the Beauty Scout. After answering a series of questions about yourself, the Beauty Scout then recommends a new product to you every time you visit the site. So far, it seems like the Beauty Scout has me figured out. smile

There is more to Total Beauty though. Besides being extremely easy on the eyes (I love the site’s design), it also features a ton of product reviews for a new site and it’s only going to get better. It also has a video section with great tips. This morning I watched a clip on how to flip my hair out at the ends and it was helpful! You’re also rewarded for participation with coupons and samples. Not a lot of sites do that.

Rosebud’s New Lip Balm

Dec 5 by Carla Filed Under: Makeup, Rosebud Perfume Co

Some people swear by Rosebud’s lip balms, they use it on their lips and anywhere else that needs a little softening. I’m not one of those people but that’s not to say that I don’t enjoy their lip balms. I actually really do enjoy them, so much that when I see a new one is introduced, I obsess over it until I have it.

Rosebud's Brambleberry Rose Lip Balm Now I can stop obsessing, I got my hands on Rosebud’s Brambleberry Rose Lip Balm, which is sold exclusively at Sephora for the time being. It’s got the same great texture that soothes lips… not too thick and not too thin. I love using this product over a lipstain because it’s great at moisturizing my lips but it also leaves them looking glossy. My Rosebud lip balms and neutral lip liners have become good friends. This time around, this version of the lip balm seems to have more a tint to it. It’s not a very pronounced tint, just a hint of berry to remind you that it’s there.

This product also has a story, it was designed to honor “Miss Vivian,” the President of Rosebud Perfume Co., that’s her picture on the tin and it was taken in 1945. Not a bad product to be honored by, just the smell alone made this worth picking up for me. It’s like a berry pie in a tin and that’s not a bad thing at all.

Beauty Duty for 12/4

Dec 4 by Carla Filed Under: Beauty Duty

It’s time to do my beauty duty for the week:

99 Products shows us that there is life after acrylic nails.

A Touch of Blusher gets Dior (for Free) with a…… Find out what!

Beautiful Makeup Search is giving away The House of Miracles Set from Philosophy to five lucky readers. Click on over to enter and hopefully be one of the five lucky ones!

KRiSTOPHER gets you VIP access to online, one-day-only sample sales.

Ellen from Lipstick, Powder ‘n Paint adores the Royal Assets Collection from MAC, and is sure you will too!

Make Her Up has this year’s Must-Have’s! We’ve each picked our top 10 products of the year. As we countdown to Christmas, you will have more than enough ideas for the women in your life! Go HERE to see 2007′s Must-Have’s!

Makeup Bag shows us a sneak peak of the Guerlain Spring 2008 Color Collection.

Lotion Before Lingerie: Makeup Moxie slips into Body Silk by Bond No. 9.

The Organic Beauty Expert discovers a new organic skin care line made just for girls!

TheMakeupGirl gives you her hot beauty gifts for under $25.

WE LOVE BEAUTY wants you to VOTE for Look of the Month: November!

Ask Billy B a Question

Dec 3 by Carla Filed Under: Site

Billy B We’re up and running again and we have good news, we’ll be interviewing world renowned (check out his amazing portfolio!) makeup artist Billy B.

Billy B has worked with celebrity clients such as Katherine Heigl, Jennifer Lopez and Julia Roberts and now he’s introducing his very own line of makeup brushes. We’ll have the scoop on those as well as talk to Billy B about the latest makeup trends, application tips and ask him your beauty questions. Have you ever wanted to pick a makeup artist’s brain? I know I have so here’s your chance to do just that.

From now until Friday, we’ll be taking your questions and will include them in our interview with Billy B. To ask a question, just submit your question in the comments section. Stay tuned! You may see your questions posted here. smile

Mark’s Little Block Box

Dec 3 by robs0006 Filed Under: Makeup, Mark

There are approximately one million gorgeous makeup palettes popping off the shelves at Sephora, all jam packed full of blush and gloss, eye shadow and mascara. But there’s something fabulous about taking an empty palette and jam-packing it full of products of your own choosing. Especially when each of those products are perfect for your skintone and provide the perfect amount of shimmer and gleam for the holidays. Let me introduce you to my new friend, the Little Block Box.

Mark's Little Black Box The concept is simple- take one empty, palm-sized palette with a generous mirror and fill it with a selection of shimmer cubes or shimmer bars. Choose from 12 shades of blendable, buildable color to create a customized glow for the season. My favorite combinations of colors are the Twinkle and Moonlight Shimmer Cubes + Glow Shimmer Bar. I swirl all three of them together with a little kabuki brush that came with my purchase and then dust all over my chest and arms. The effect is ethereal, not show-girl. I also layer the Twinkle Shimmer Cube over my daytime makeup to give it a little extra oomph for a night out.

The texture of the shimmer cubes and bars is silky, thanks to the finely milled baked Italian powder. When applying the colors, they start out very sheer on the skin and can be layered to create more intensity. The price point on the Little Block Box is terrific – the box is $6 as are the Shimmer Bars. Shimmer Cubes are $5. Hit up Mark’s web site to check out the selection, and for tips and ideas on color combinations that will create specific effects. Mark products can be ordered online or through a Mark representative.

We’re Experiencing Technical Difficulties

Nov 27 by Carla Filed Under: Site

What do you get when you have me trying to perform a memory upgrade on my own computer? You get a busted computer. I got a little ambitious over the holiday weekend and tried to install some memory in my computer, I guess I was inspired by the deal I got. smile While I was trying to disconnect everything, I somehow messed up the cord to my monitor (the one that doesn’t come out) and my computer seems to be stuck in DOS mode now. Moral of the story, I’m out of commission for a little while but I’ll be back as soon as I can.

In the meantime, let’s pretend you have the chance to ask a world renowned makeup artist any question you would like. What would you ask? Here’s your chance. We’ll give you more details on this when we’re back in full operating mode but for now, leave a comment and ask a question. You may see you’re question answered here soon.

Hotel Luxury at Home

Nov 20 by robs0006 Filed Under: Bath & Body, Gilchrist and Soames

This weekend, my husband and I took a spontaneous trip out of town to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. The hotel was beautiful and I, of course, beelined for the bathroom to check out the toiletries. They were provided by British luxuries line Gilchrist and Soames. Aside from being adorably tiny (what is it about small versions of regular products that makes them so cute?), the products smelled amazing and were very good quality.

Gilchrist and Soames Chamomile Glycerin Soap I especially liked the Chamomile Glycerin Soap. The scent is clean, slightly citrusy and soothing. The cake of soap works up a smooth lather – and lots of it! After rinsing the lather off, the soap leaves a moisturizing film on your body. This might sound a little suspect, but it’s actually really nice. One of the biggest issues I have with most soaps is that I feel dry after washing with them. Gilchrist and Soames’ glycerin soap feels very healing and moisturizing.

I also really liked the Chamomile Aloe Vera Body Lotion. Scent-wise, it’s a really nice compliment to the glycerin soap. The formula is light, almost of a whipped consistency, as opposed to thick like a body butter. It spreads on evenly and blends into the skin almost instantly. I felt soft and hydrated all day long.

I snagged extra samples of my new favorite Gilchrist and Soames products from the house keeping cart of the hotel on our way out. I’ll be heading to their web site in the future to replenish and pick up full size soaps and lotions. Bonus – every time I use them, I’ll remember our fantastic weekend!