Dec 122009
 
Need inspiration for a holiday look this year? How about the side knot as seen here on Diane Kruger? Stylist Richard Marin has some tips:
  • Dry hair with head tilted forward using an ionic dryer for maximum shine and volume (try the Remington Professional Dryer).
  • Part hair to side. Using a one inch barrel curling iron, section hair in pieces that are 1½ inches by 3 inches wide. Curl in one direction for a uniform wave pattern, and let curls cool to set.
  • Brush hair out in a downward motion. Keep brush close to scalp, and finger waves will form. Brush waves to one side, and secure in side ponytail.
  • Roll hair into smooth bun with the ends poking out, and pin into place. Finish with a touch of hairspray and bit of shine spray. To glam it up like Diane, add a sparkly hair accessory

The Remington Professional line includes a dryer, one-inch flat iron and two-inch flat iron, and is avaiable exclusively at Walmart for $50 each.

Dec 112009
 
This is exciting stuff: for the first time EVER, YSL is offering a 20% Friends and Family discount (online only), good from Monday, December 14th through December 20th. Just enter code FF2009 at checkout.
The discount isn’t good for eGift Certificates or Gift Cards, but is good on everything else at YSLBeautyus.com.
And did you know that if you sign up for the YSL newsletters, you’ll get advance notice of sales like this as well as exclusive promotions? I’m just saying.
Now go forth and shop for luxury cosmetics. And don’t say I never gave you anything.
Dec 112009
 
Anti-aging is all the rage right now, and rightly so. After all, 40 is the new 20, right? Okay, I’m almost 40, and I’m far too tired to be 20 again, but come on – I will fight aging every step of the way.
And that’s where Sustainable Youth comes in. They have developed an exclusive ingredient complex called Alasta that not only is completely sustainable (no part of the plant is wasted), but a key factor in reducing the inflammation in the body that is responsible for the aging process. (Dr. Andrew Weil is an excellent resource for finding out more regarding the link between inflammation and aging, as well as disease.) Less inflammation results in less oxidative stress, fewer free radical reactions, and less collagen cross-linking, resulting in increased skin elasticity and firmness.
So how did it work? I used the products for 30 days, and while I didn’t notice anything drastic, I think that they did a wonderful job keeping firmness in my skin. I found the Elasticity Cream to be very moisturizing, and loved the way it applied easily and didn’t end up creating an oil slick on my already-oily skin. The serum is practically weightless and feels wonderful on my skin.

Sustainable Youth stands behind their products and offers a money back guarantee if you’re not happy with the performance of the products over a 12 week period, which makes the whole thing almost risk-free! The natural and organic ingredients reduce the likelihood of allergic reaction, and the sustainable nature of the products makes even the greenest beauty junkie happy. Check out some before and after pictures at the Sustainable Youth website.

Dec 102009
 

Diary Of A Style Addict did a FABULOUS job kicking off the first roundup last week. I feel we
have a great group of blogs involved and are always thrilled to welcome new
members, so if you would like to be a part of “Glamarazzi” you can find all the info needed to join.

Mermaid Nails

*Make-up/Music/Money/Me shares her Beauty Product Wishlist with us…filled with great “must have” beauty goodies.

*FerOHHHSh Gives you Vogue Italia’s ultra cool “Twitpic Cover” showing you just how far social networking sites have come.

*Glamour Whore Debates the good and bad points of Sephora’s new “Makeup Vending Machines.”

Dec 092009
 
Pantone is all about color, and they do an excellent job of trendspotting what the up-and-coming colors are going to be. For 2010, we’re going old school with turquoise, an uncomplicated and happy color. Think Miami in the summertime, pink flamingos, and tropical beaches, and you’re in a turquoise state of mind.
Will you incorporate turquoise into your beauty routine?
Dec 082009
 
Creating a smoky eye is probably one of the requests I hear most often. Everyone wants to know how to do it well, without being over the top. Creating smoke really isn’t that hard, and Too Faced has made it even easier with their Smoky Eye Kit.
Included are printed instructions for three different looks: day smoke, fashion smoke, and classic smoke. Day smoke is made up of neutrals, fashion smoke is bright shades of blue and green with a neutral all over lid color, and cassic smoke is your typical gray background with a matte black and a micro-glitter black shade.
Too Faced makes brilliant shadows – they have always been super easy to use, heavily pigmented, and the colors are bright; this palette is no exception. All the looks are easy to create and turn out wonderfully – I only took this palette with me when I attended New York Fashion Week in September. It was just that versatile!
If you’re looking for ways to incorporate more smoky eyes into your daily looks, you will not be disappointed with Too Faced’s Smoky Eye Kit. Also makes a great gift for that one girlfriend you have who would look so good with a bit of color on her eyes, but who doesn’t have the confidence to pull it off.
Dec 082009
 

When you’re packing your suitcase to head on to the inlaws for that horrid holiday dinner/vacation/family visit, don’t forget to throw in a few Talika Eye Decompress packages, because holidays are stressful.

These things are just amazing. Pop open the part with the white pastille, put it in the blue solution on the other side, and it turns into a fabulous eye mask. Open it up and apply it to your eyes for a few moments of bliss.

I promise it will make that creepy uncle, drunk aunt, and obnoxious mother in law just melt away.

Dec 072009
 
Everyone loves lip gloss, and this set combines my love of lip gloss with my love of chocolate – two of the best things in the entire world. Inside the chocoholicks set, you’ll find four generously sized pots of lipglosses in four different shades and flavors, including
  • Truffle: a rich chocolate brown gloss that smells of heaven
  • Chocolate Orange: a copper gloss that reminds me of those chocolate oranges you smack on your table to open
  • Strawberry Cream: a pink gloss that is supposed to taste of strawberries dipped in chocolate
  • Caramel: a bronze gloss that looks, feels, and smells just like the caramel I put in my coffee, without the sticky mess
Like all of the Jane Iredale products, these are formulated with natural ingredients, including sunflower seed oil for it’s antioxidant properties and jojoba seed oil for extra hydration.
Dec 072009
 
Have you heard of Beauty Fix? It was a new thing for me, but when I finally got my hands on it, I totally understand the appeal! Every quarter (three months) Beauty Fix sends out a great bag just stuffed full of goodies for you to try for the low price of $49.99!
This quarter, the bag includes 3LAB, Canyon Ranch Your Transformation, Chelia, Coola, Frais, Jonathan Product, and RAW Natural Beauty.
Who chooses these products? Beauty Fix has an amazing Advisory Panel, including over 30 makeup and hair professionals, estheticians, medical professionals, select beauty bloggers, infuencers and experts from the beauty industry. Brands submit product to the panel for consideration. Each season, the Beauty Fix Advisory Panel reveals their “fix” – 7 to 10 agreed upon products, and all members receive it sent to their door. All products are full or deluxe travel-sized. Among panelists are Sean James, celebrity hair stylist, Stuart H. Kaplan, MD, dermatologist, Rose Johnston, celebrity makeup artist, Tia Williams, beauty editor and blogger, Dr. Babak Azizzadeh, facial plastic surgeon, Dr. John Diaz, plastic surgeon, and Dr. Jody Levine, dermatologist.
Once you are a member, you are encouraged to post review of the products you’ve received, and after two reviews, you receive a $25 gift certificate to glow.com.
This is an exclusive beauty club that you will want to be a part of!
Dec 052009
 

Diorshow is one of my favorite mascaras to use – thick, black, plush lashes are always guaranteed, and now they are bring their special brand of awesome to your brows.

Diorshow Brow Styler Ultra-Fine Precision Brow Pencil has a super thin retractible pencil in a universally flattering shade of dark brown. You use it with feather-thin strokes to fill in any sparse spots, then flip it over and use the spooly wand to brush the brow and even it out. This blends the product with your brow and gives it a much softer look.

Find the Diorshow Brow Styler Ultra-Fine Precision Brow Pencil at your local Dior counter or Amazon.com for about $24.

Dec 042009
 

I’m not much of a Miley Cyrus fan, but her hair has been looking fabulous lately, and now I’ve figured out why. She’s been using Leonor Greyl products! Here’s a breakdown of some things she’s been trying:

  • Mousse au Lotus Volumatrice Volumizing Styling Mousse: Formulated without silicone or alcohol, this divinely scented product will detangle, style and protect hair in all weather with discretion and performance.
  • Voluforme Setting Spray for Volume and Hold: This spray was created for those who don’t have a lot of time on their hands to style their hair. Using Voluforme reduces both the temperature and timeof drying your hair, thus avoiding damage or dehydrate to the hair because of over heating.
  • Eclat Naturel Daytime Nourishing and Styling Cream for Dry Hair: The cream repairs damage caused by perms, straightening, tinting, sun exposure or blow-drying. It also gives shine and makes styling easier, keeping the hair light.

I’ve never seen Miley’s hair look so lovely. What do you think? Have you tried Leonor Greyl products? Do you like them?

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Dec 042009
 

Glamarazzi finished

Welcome to the first installment of The Glamarazzi! Check out this weeks links and look out next week for an even bigger list. And if you’d like to be a part of it check out the details here.

Dec 022009
 

The Body Shop is amazing, isn’t it? When I’m strolling through the “big mall,” as we call MacArthur Center around these parts, you can always smell The Body Shop before you get anywhere near it. I always have to stop in and see what they are burning in their fancy oil burners and perhaps take a few home to add to my ginormous collection.

Lucky us, they have released three new collections just in time for the holiday. There isn’t one that I would turn away. Then again, I’m not sure The Body Shop has ever released anything that I didn’t at the very least appreciate.

Merry Cranberry Festive Treasures $50. Sweet cranberry certainly evokes the idea of the season. This set includes 1.69 oz. Body Butter, 6.75 oz. Body Smoother, 8.4 oz. Shower and Bath Gel, 3.5 oz. bar Soap, two tone red/gold Bath Lily, all in a decorative gold wire basket.
Velvet Apricot Celebrations $15. Creamy and sweet, Black Velvet Apricot features a plum note, too. This gift idea includes 2 oz. Body Lotion, 2 oz. Bath and Shower Nectar, and 2.5 bar Soap.
Nutmeg and Vanilla Joy To Your Skin $20. Toasted nutmeg and sweet vanilla make this set perfect for anyone who prefers a gourmand scent. Set includes 1.7 oz. Body Butter, 2 oz. Shimmer Lotion, 2 oz. Bath and Shower Gel, white Bath Lily, all put together in a cotton canvas bag with metallic stitching.

Dec 022009
 
I was reading Simon (my hero) Doonan’s latest article for the New York Observer, and he had this to say about gift guides:

After a casual poll of friends and colleagues, I recently ascertained some important information: People HATE gift guides, universally. I was, in point of fact, unable to find one single person who liked them, is prompted to shop by them, looked at them or even lined the cat’s litter box with them.

Well said. I don’t like them either, so I’m not doing one this year. I’m just going to keep posting as I usually do, and I’ll do an end-of-year wrap-up towards the end of December.

If it’s good enough for Simon, it’s good enough for me!