Nars Spring 2009 Collection: Hearts of Desires

 

 I really like NARS’ Heart of Desire Spring 2009 Collection. It’s bright and fresh and perfect for the Spring. And most importantly, it’s different unlike some of the other Spring ‘09 Collection (ahem, that means you Chanel and Dior). 

Eyeshadow Duos:

• Egea (Cool gold/cool lavender)
• Hula Hula (Pale pink/light gold)

Eyeshadow Singles:

• Baby Girl (Light pink)

• Grenadines (Raspberry)

 

• Night Sun (Bright gold-yellow)

Blush Duo:

• Hungry Heart (Pale gold/pale peach)

Lipgloss:

• Sweet Revenge

Lipstick:

• Shrinagar

Multiple Duo:

• Orgasm/South Beach

Multiple:

• Cap Vert

Duo Concealers:

• Custard/Ginger
• Praline/Toffee
• Vanilla/Honey

So what do you think? Do you agree that this collection is fresh and different? Or is it just the same old?

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Dior Nude Natural Glow Mineral Makeup

Dior is the newest company to hop on the mineral makeup bandwagon. They’ve introduced two new mineral foundations in liquid and powder forms. Both foundations are currently available at Sephora. I’d actually be interested in trying out both of these. It looks like they have a wide range of skin tones and they claim to be 100% natural (I need to see an ingredient list before I believe it). I’ll let you know how I feel about it once I test them out.

Diorskin Nude Natural Glow Hydrating Makeup SPF 10
What it is:
A natural hydrating liquid foundation.

What it does:
Diorskin Nude Natural Glow Hydrating Makeup SPF 10 blends 100% natural mineral pigments with Dior’s exclusive, active mineralized water to deliver flawless, glowing skin that actually improves over time. By using advances in mineral makeup technology, this product will take your complexion to a whole new level.

Diorskin Nude Natural Glow Fresh Powder Makeup SPF 10
What it is:
A natural mineral pigment powder.

What it does:
Dior Skin Nude blends100% natural mineral pigments with Dior’s exclusive, active mineralized water to deliver flawless, glowing skin that actually improves over time. By using advances in mineral makeup technology, this product will take you complexion to a whole new level.

What do you think? Have you switched over to mineral makeup yet or are you sticking to your tried and true foundation?

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Beating Winter Skin #4 – Must Try Products

Welcome to the fourth and final installment of our Beating Winter Skin series. Last time I posted several DIY recipes for scrubs and moisturizers. Handmade products not your style? Well here’s a list of some of the best products out there for winter weather skin and hair:

Ojon Winter Essential Kit - a new travel-sized trio kit containing a shampoo, conditioner and styling product designed to nurture, fortify and protect winter-damaged hair. The highly-concentrated formulas quickly leaves tresses shiny and manageable. At $25, this kit will allow you to test out Ojon products without breaking the bank.

Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment – Incredible treatment for curly hair or locs. A little more pricey but worth every penny.

 

Orange Chocolate Cocoa Butter Bath Melts from SpaTherapyWorks - These bath melts are a wonderful little bath treatment loaded with antioxidants and lipids to help skin retain its elasticity and relieve dryness. Scented with decadent dark chocolate combined with luscious, juicy oranges, these bath melts are the perfect bath treats to nourish your skin without the calories! Another must try is their whipped cream soap – a moisturizing alternative to bar soap and shower gel.

Klean Bath & Body Yuzu Sugar Body Polish  - This delicious scrub will leave your skin leaving refreshed and rejuvenated. The coarse sugar scrubs dry skin away in an instant and the coconut & sweet almond oils leave your skin feeling moist. Also, the smell is just divine!

Lush Buffy Body Butter – This exfoliating body butter will reveal silky, touchable skin. Stress disappears as our lavender-scented body butter melts into your skin, making it way beyond silky. Ground rice, almonds and aduki beans exfoliate to velvety perfection as the natural butters provide maximum miniaturization.

Shea Radiance Ultra Rich Body Creams - A luxurious blend of skin softening organic Shea Butter, nourishing oils and active extracts. A deep penetrating cream that leaves skin with a smooth supple feel that lasts all day.

All of these products are guaranteed to help save your precious skin. Any other skin soothing recommendations? 

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Barbie Loves Stila

 

 

Stila has launched their Barbie Loves Stila Collection exclusively at Sephora. Ok, so I am totally torn on how I feel about this launch. Anyone who knows me knows that I looove Barbie, however, didn’t MAC already do this last year?? Where’s the originality Stila? The one thing that I do appreciate about this line is the thought that went into creating each palette – I enjoy the Barbie history lesson. Don’t think I’ll be rushing out to buy them though. The MAC Barbie Collection looked like it was higher quality. Check out the WWD press release below as well as pictures of the different palettes.

Looks like Barbie (Mattel) and Stila will be partnering this spring. Stila will also sponsor Mattel’s Barbie runway during NYFW during February 2009. 50 designers have agreed to show Barbie-inspired fashion during the runway show. Charlotte Tilbury, makeup atist, is the show’s lead makeup artist. The limited edition line is slated to launch exclusively at Sephora in February, only at Sephora’s Fifth Avenue store in NY, international Sephora locations, and sephora.com. Expect a larger offering of Barbie-Stila branded products later, during fall 2009.

The collection includes 4 “Decades of Beauty” cans ($40 each) with a booklet inside describing the beauty and fashion wardrobes for each doll. The first, #1 Ponytail Doll, celebrates the first Barbie, launched in 1959. It includes a red lipstick called Ponytail, a liquid eyeliner and a three-pan paper-wrapped compact with two eye shadows and a cheek color. Malibu Barbie, which highlights the doll of the same name that launched in 1971, has a pale pink Lip Glaze called Malibu, a black mascara and a compact with two eye shadows and a bronzer. Foxy Doll, which depicts the African-American Barbie launched in 1980, includes a Lip Glaze called Foxy, mascara and a compact with two eye shadows and a cheek color. The final offering, Jewel Doll, is based on the 2000 Barbie of the same name and includes a bright pink Lip Glaze called Jewel, a Multi-Effect Mascara and a compact with two eye shadows and a cheek color.

Source: WWD

 

 

Barbie Loves Stila Talking Palette:
Palette features four pretty in pink (and purple) wet/dry eyeshadows that create the classic Barbie eye look. The best part? It’s foolproof! It literally talks you through every step of easy application and there’s even an insert card with instructions on step-by-step makeup application, as well as information on Barbie through the decades. Palette includes shadows in cool pink shimmer (base), bright lilac with gold sparkle (lid), deep pink (crease), and dark purple with blue sparkle (liner).

 

Barbie Loves Stila Paint Can 1959 #1 Ponytail Doll:

• 3 Pan Palette with a deep blue eyeshadow with white shimmer,a matte black eyeshadow, and a luminous coral cheek color
• Lip Color in Ponytail 
• Liquid Eye Liner in Black

 

Barbie Loves Stila Paint Can 1971 Malibu Doll ($40.00)

• 3 Pan Palette with a soft shimmering pale pink eyeshadow, a sky blue eyeshadow with white shimmer, and a golden bronze bronzer
• Lip Glaze in Malibu 
• Lash Visor Waterproof Mascara in Black

 

Barbie Loves Stila Paint Can 1980 Foxy Doll 

• Sky blue eyeshadow with white shimmer 
• Soft pale pink eye shadow with pink and white shimmer
• Golden bronze bronzer with gold shimmer
• Lip Glaze Malibu 
• Lash Visor Waterproof Mascara Black

 

Barbie Loves Stila Paint Can 2000 Jewel Doll 

• 3 Pan Palette with a tan eyeshadow with pink shimmer, a brown eyeshadow with gold and brown shimmer, and a shimmering pink cheek color
• Lip Glaze in Jewel 
• Multi-effect Mascara in Black

 

What do you think? Do you love it? Did you like it better when MAC did it? Or are you just completely over the 8-yr old girl inspired makeup? (First Hello Kitty, then Smurfette, now Barbie)

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Beating Winter Skin #3 – DIY Home Remedies

Here’s post #3 of our Beating Winter Skin series. Last time we talked a lot about exfoliating and moisturizing to help beat winter itch. I’ve compiled some simple DIY beauty recipes that will help get the job done.

Soothing Milk & Citrus Bath - Long, hot showers can wreak havoc on our skin. Taking warm milk baths is another good option if you have some extra time.

1 cup dried milk powder (if you have oily skin, use nonfat milk)
1/4 cup orange peels
1/4 cup lemon peels
4 drops lavender essential oil

Draw a warm bath and while water is flowing, slowly add dried milk, orange & lemon peels and lavender oil. Soak for 20 minutes. Pat dry and moisturize as needed.

Moisturizing Lip Balm - Here’s a super easy recipe to help combat dry lips:

  1/2 oz beeswax                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             2 teaspoons olive oil                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          dollop of honey (optional)

In a bowl, combine a small cube of beeswax with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add a little bit of honey if you prefer a sweeter balm. Microwave mixture for 15 seconds or until the oil and wax melt. Pour into small pots.

Brown Sugar & Lemon Scrub – Yummy shower scrub to exfoliate away those dry skin cells

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup salt 
1 tablespoon of kalamansi or lemon 
1 tablespoon of virgin coconut oil(vco)
1 tablespoon of honey

Mix brown sugar and salt, then add kalamansi or lemon juice, virgin coconut oil and honey, mix well.

Oatmeal & Brown Sugar Scrub – Breakfast for your skin!

Exfoliates and is very moisturizing but doesn’t leave a greasy feeling. Before you turn off your shower scoop a small handful of scrub into your hand. Rub gently onto your skin. Rinse.

3/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup ground oatmeal (not instant)
1/4 cup pure honey
3/4 to 1 cup (or to total saturation)
Oil of choice – I use Jojoba, Grapeseed or Sweet Almond
1/4 tsp Essential or Fragrance oil of choice (optional) Vanilla works nicely. Though this smells great on it’s own.

Mix the brown sugar & oatmeal together in a large bowl. Now add the honey. Drizzle the oil over the mix. Mix well. When all your mix is saturated and sinks to the bottom of the bowl and you have oil on top you’re done. Add your essential oil or fragrance oil. A six or eight ounce wide-mouthed jar works nicely. Spoon mixture in.

Moisturizing Body Oil – Nourishing oils do the trick for extra dry skin

  1 cup sweet almond oil                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             1/2 cup jojoba or hazelnut oil (or combo of both)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             2 tablespoons apricot kernel oil                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Essential oil (optional)

Combine the oils in a sealed bottle and gently turn several times to mix. Before taking a shower, brush your skin gently. This will stimulate blood circulation and aid in skin absorption. Apply the body oils while your skin is still damp.

A good combination of exfoliation and moisturzation will definitely help to get your skin back in check. Do you have any homemade recipes that you swear by? Let us know!

Next up: Fabulous Products to Save your skin

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MAC Brunette, Blonde, Redhead Collection

 

MAC has unveiled three perfectly personalized palettes each formulated to be coiffure-complementary. Designed to play-up the most potent and powerful accessory a girl has: her hair. The complete opposite of contrivance – this is simplicity itself. So basic it’s brilliant!

REDHEAD:

LIPSTICK
Marquise D’ Sandy – cream peach
Blow Dry – pink coral 

LIPGLASS
Live and Dye – cool pink
Red Devil – coral orange

EYE SHADOW
Flip – bronze gold
French Cuff – burgundy purple
100 Strokes – ice pink

EYE KOHL
Teddy – dark-eyed bronze

BROW SET
Girl Boy – fawned-over blondette

MINERALIZE SKINFINISH
Redhead – gold to salmon pink degrade 

BRUSHES
165 Tapered cheek/highlight
214 Short Shader
226 Small Tapered Blending

 

BLONDE

 

LIPSTICK
B-Babe – rich pink
All’s Fair – light purple pink

LIPGLASS
Strawberry Blonde – deep pink red
Peroxide – white pink
EYE SHADOW
Pincurl – dusty white
Knight – dark grey
Top Knot – deep black purple

EYE KOHL
Phone Number – smudgy charcoal

BROW SET
Clear – color-free

MINERALIZE SKINFINISH
Blonde – soft pink to rose degrade

BRUNETTE:

LIPSTICK
Chignon – red plum
What a Do! – neutral pink coral

LIPGLASS
Quick Tease – red purple
Soft Wave – tan bronze

EYE SHADOW
Deep Shade – dusty blue
Henna – Dark Gold
Femme Fi – frosty golden cream

EYE KOHL
Smolder – intense black

BROW SET
Show Off – full-bodied brown

MINERALIZE SKINFINISH
Brunette – soft coral to copper bronze degrade

I think this is a pretty good idea. I’m surprised no one has thought of it sooner. What do you think?

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Beating Winter Skin #2 – Tips to Replenish

Welcome to post #2 in our Beating Winter Skin Series. Now we know what is making our skin so scaly. Next up, simple things we can do to overcome it:

Instead of over-moisturizing, increase your exfoliation. 
When the heat is on in the house and the air is cold outside, your skin will be depleted of its natural moisture, leaving your skin feeling tight and dry. People tend to load on the extra moisturizer to compensate for the dryness. This will not always solve the problem of dry skin. If your skin is dry, tight and flakey, it means that you have dry skin cell build-up on the surface of the skin. So rather than putting on extra cream to re-hydrate dead, dry skin cells (it doesn’t make sense!) try increasing your exfoliation with a gentle facial scrub to remove the dry skin cells so that when your cream goes on, it hydrates the new cells rather than the dry cells.

Avoid greasy hand creams if you’re prone to breakouts. 
You may suffer from a condition we call ‘hand cream acne’ if you sleep with your hands on your face at night! We are more likely to use hand cream during the dry winter months than during the summer which leads us to using heavy hand cream to alleviate the dryness. Most often, this cream is applied right before you go to bed. If you sleep on your side with your hands on your face, the cream may be getting into the skin and clogging the pores. If you find that this may be happening to you, sleep with cotton gloves or change over your hand lotion.

Change up your routine.
Your skin acts differently from summer to winter and the best strategy for healthy, beautiful, problem-free skin is to adjust your home care routine to suit your skin’s needs each season. In winter, the skin produces less oil, so for many skin types, oil must be added back into the skin to maintain its balance. Look for moisturizers containing Safflower Oil, Avocado Oil and Shea Butter. Switch from a gel cleanser to a cream-based cleanser and eye creams are a must in the winter. Spring and summer products will likely expire or reduce their effectiveness for the following year, so it’s a good time to purge your products.

Don’t neglect your neck.
The friction caused from turtle necks and wool fibers can rub on the neck causing it to be dry and irritated. Use a hydrating cream mask on your neck once a week to replenish essential moisture. Make sure to exfoliate in upward motions with a mild facial scrub.

Properly care for your skin at the gym.
After working out at the gym, make sure to wash your face, use an alcohol-free toner and a nourishing moisturizer. At the end of the work out, the salts created from perspiration can have a drying effect on the skin, combined with the cold, dry air outside and the heat in your car. So removing the salts and locking moisture back in the skin will greatly reduce dry skin.

Take lukewarm showers and limit them to five minutes or less. “Just as you use hot water, soap, and scrubbing to get grease out of dishes, you can wind up removing natural oils from your skin by using these things during bathing,” says Barbara R. Reed, a dermatologist in Denver. If you prefer baths, add colloidal oatmeal, which is moisturizing, soothing, and particularly helpful if your skin is chapped.

Replenish the moisture that you remove from your skin by washing. Drinking plenty of water isn’t enough by itself. “If you are well hydrated, the skin will be healthier, but it does not make a difference to the outer layers of the skin,” says dermatologist Doris J. Day. “You still need to use a moisturizer on the surface.” During the colder months, moisturize your body at least twice a day — immediately after showering and before bedtime. “The drier your skin, the thicker the lotion should be,” Reed says. “If you are very dry, you should be dipping into a jar, not squirting lotion out of a bottle.”

Put on thin white cotton gloves over moisturized hands. It’s been said before, but this really works to heal very dry skin. Dampen your hands, apply a rich ointment, and then wear the gloves for a few hours. For rough patches, such as on elbows, lock in moisture with petroleum jelly.

Try a humidifier in your bedroom if you don’t have one in your central heating system. But be vigilant about keeping it clean: “Different molds, fungi, and bacteria can grow in a humidifier,” says Kelly M. Cordoro, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville. To prevent yours from becoming a germ haven, change the water daily and clean it every three days.

Cover up before heading outside. Leather gloves keep hands from chapping (the leather provides a better barrier to moisture evaporation than cotton), and wax-based products like lipstick and lip balm provide moisture and wind protection. Just as you shouldn’t wait until you are thirsty to drink water, don’t wait until your skin and lips are dry before moisturizing.

Next Post: Simple DIY recipes for locking in moisture

Lancome Spring Collection 2009: Pink Irreverence

If you love pink then Lancome is where it’s at for you this Spring. Instead of unveiling your typical spring collections with pastel pinks and soft corals, Lancome went super bold with their Pink Irreverence Collection. The spring 2009 collection features bold pinks,  fuchsias and black and is perfect for those of us left uninspired by Chanel’s Bohemian Fantasy and Dior’s Lady Dior. Pink Irreverence is the first spring collection by new artistic director for makeup, Aaron de May, and features Elletra Rossellini (daughter of long-time Lancôme model, Issabella Rossellini) as the face of spring. 

Pink Punk & Black Palette: The Irreverent Madame - One of two limited edition Color Design Quads, Irreverent Madame features a shimmery, smoky black, a blue-toned fuchsia, a powdery pink and a pale pink.  The second palette, Mademoiselle Sass, offers a quad of warmer neutral brown shades. I’m a big fan of this pink and black palette – I love the bold fuchsia pink paired with the black shadow.

La Laque Fever – A brand new lip formula that promises to last up to six hours, La Laque Fever comes in several bold shades including Electric Pink, Pink Dimension, Furious in Fuchsia, and Pink My Ride. I’ve seen several comparisons to MAC glosses and I would honestly have to go with Lancome. The colors are incredibly vibrant. 

Color Fever Gloss in Piha Black –  First introduced last fall in a limited edition set during the vamp trend, Piha Black sold out almost immediately. Looks great layered over red or pink lip color.

 

Le Vernis in Piha Black – There’s no rosey nail colors in this collection. The limited edition Phia Black nail color allows you to complete the whole modern punk look with a swipe of black polish.

What do you think? Will you be rocking Lancome’s Pink Irreverence this spring?

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Beating Winter Skin #1 – Why So Dry?

My fellow beauty blogger Amina recently wrote about some issues she was having with dry winter skin and posted a great recipe for a soothing milk bath. I’ve also been having similar winter skin problems. Not only has my skin been drier and itchier than usual but my hair has also been on the dry side. No fun! So I’m taking action. I’ll be posting a Dry Skin Series featuring tips to beating the winter itch and regaining your soft, supple skin. First things first, why is winter so tough on our skin?

Causes of Dry Skin

Age. As estrogen production decreases in women, particularly as menopause nears, the skin produces fewer lipids. As you get older, cell turnover also slows down, resulting in more flakiness. 

Genes. Some people are more genetically predisposed to skin dryness than others. It could be as simple as having fewer oil glands. Or you could be one of the millions of Americans who suffer from eczema, a skin disorder that is often hereditary.

Weather changes. Chilly temperatures, cold winds, low humidity, and dry indoor heat (particularly the forced-air type) cause water to evaporate from the skin because there is more water in your skin than in the air, says Cherie Ditre, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Long, hot baths and showers. Too much washing strips the skin of its protective layer of oil, causing it to become dry. Then, as the water evaporates from the skin, it pulls more valuable moisture from the epidermis with it. Cleansing with harsh soaps can also strip lipids from the skin and increase water loss.

Smoking. Extremely toxic for the skin, smoking deprives the outer layers of oxygen and nutrients, as well as promoting premature wrinkling. In addition, “the smoke itself dries the skin’s surface,” says Jerome Z. Litt, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Case Western Reserve University, in Cleveland.

Bundling up in woolen clothing. Scratchy materials can rub your skin the wrong way, disrupting the barrier that keeps moisture in and causing chapping.

Chronic health conditions. Diabetes, thyroid disorders, kidney disease, and some other conditions can affect the skin’s ability to retain moisture. Some medications — including antihistamines, tamoxifen (for breast cancer), and certain antidepressants — also cause dryness.

Is the winter weather wreaking havoc on your skin also? Do you have a fool-proof solution to winter skin? Let us know – me and my alligator skin will be forever grateful!

Next post: Simple tips to get your skin back to tip-top shape

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Evan Healy Blemish Treatment Kit Review

As some of you may remember I started using Evan Healy’s Blemish Treatment  Kit a couple of months ago in an attempt to “green” up my face routine. I had seen some good reviews about Evan Healy and the kit came with high marks from the Whole Foods guy who suggested it to me. Overall, I did not have a good experience with this product and was pretty disappointed with the end results. My first issue was that there were no directions anywhere in the kit. It came with five different products but I had no idea which to use first.  After using the kit for about two weeks I began to notice that instead of helping my blemishes it was actually creating more! Wherever I would use the blemish treatment roll-on I would begin getting the worst breakouts in that region. I stopped using the kit and went back to my regular routine and almost immediately my skin went back to normal. There was defintely something in the kit that reacted poorly with my skin. So unfortunately, the Evan Healy Blemish Kit was a no-go for me.

Have any of you had experiences (good or bad) with Evan Healy products? Let us know!

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