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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Smurfalicious!

For those of you eagerly awaiting the Hello Kitty Collection, a new cartoon based makeup collection may be able to tide you over until February. Too Faced is introducing their So Smurfy Limited Edition Collection sold exclusively at Sephora. You’ll get everything you need to look totally hot and smurfy just like our favorite lady smurf, Smurfette. 

So Smurfy Eye Shadow Collection :

What it is:
A limited-edition eyeshadow collection packed with Smurfette’s favorite glamour shades! 

What it does:
Too Faced So Smurfy Eye Shadow Collection contains four easy-to-use shades that can be used individually or together to create a signature Smurfette look. The velvety shadows glide on smoothly creating a seamless blend of gleaming color. Your pigment-drenched peepers will be left super Smurf-chic!

Smurfy-Eyed Liquid Eyeliner
What it is:
A limited-edition sparkling liquid eyeliner 

What it does:
The Smurfette Collection Smurfy-Eyed Liquid Eyeliner lets you show off your Smurfette—inspired sparkles as you bat those eyes at every Smurf you see! You can use on the brows, hair, and anywhere else you want a special Smurf sparkle.

Mood Swing Emotionally Activated Lip Gloss
What it is:
An emotionally activated lip gloss that ranges from Smurf-blue shimmer to beautiful berry.

What it does:
Too Faced Mood Swing Emotionally Activated Lip Gloss allows you to wear your emotions on your lips. Depending on your body heat level, the gloss blooms into countless shades of Smurf-berry pink. You never know what shade you’ll get, but Smurfette thinks that’s part of the fun!

So Smurfy Illumination Face Powder
What it is:
A face powder that brightens and tones.

What it does:
Too Faced So Smurfy Illuminating Face Powder delivers complexion perfection. Smurfette’s signature color-correcting shades blend together for the prettiest perfection—you’re sure to be the hottest girl on your Smurf turf.

So what do you think? Are you itching to get Smurfette’s signature look or would you rather not take your beauty cues from a small blue cartoon character?

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Sephora Scent Samplers

Sephora has the perfect gifts for the fragrance fanatic: 4 Scent Samplers packed with classic (old and new) scents. 

Bestsellers for Her: Ten deluxe samples of Sephora’s best selling scents. Samples include: Aquolina Pink Sugar, Bulgari Omnia Crystalline, Calvin Klein Euphoria, Givenchy Very Irresistible Givenchy Sensual, Gwen Stefani L.A.M.B., Lavanila Vanilla Grapefruit, Marc Jacobs Daisy, Philosophy Amazing Grace, Stella McCartney Stella, and Vera Wang Princess.

New Classics: 8 samples of Sephora’s timeless classic scents. Samples include: Cartier Délices De Cartier Eau Fruitée, Guerlain Shalimar, Hanae Mori Butterfly, Marc Jacobs Perfume, Prada Parfums Prada, Robert Piguet Fracas, Thierry Mugler Angel, and Vera Wang The Fragrance.

Trendsetters: 9 samples of the hottest up and coming scents. Samples include: Burberry Brit Sheer, Dior Addict Shine, Emporio Armani Diamonds Intense, Ferragamo Incanto Heaven, Jean Paul Gaultier Ma Dame, Lolita Lempicka Fleur De Corail, Nina Ricci Nina, Prada Infusion D’Iris, and Pucci Vivara.

Bestsellers for Men: Last but not least 10 deluxe samples of Sephora’s most sizzling scents for the special man in your life. Samples include: Bulgari Aqua Pour Homme Marine, Canali Canali, Carolina Herrera 212 Sexy Men, Diesel Fuel For Life Men, Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio Pour Homme, Hugo Boss Boss Pure, Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male, Lacoste Essential, Prada Infusion D’Homme, and Yves Saint Laurent L’Homme.

PLUS when you buy a sample set you get a gift voucher of equal value that can be redeemed at any Sephora store for a full size bottle of any one of the samples included. Not a bad deal.

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No! No!

 

No one enjoys shaving and now Sephora is aiming to help us spend much less time doing it with no!no!, Sephora’s exclusive next generation hair removal system. No!No! is changing the shaving routines of women around the world. Portable and sleek, it utilizes revolutionary Thermicon technology, a gentle heat wave that destroys hair without pain or irritation, to safely reduce hair re-growth up to 64%. It gives professional removal treatments, like lasers and electrolysis, a run for their money. Over time, you’ll notice decreased hair density, a lot less stubble and a lot more time spent not shaving.  

 

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A Great Deal

Mavens, I had to let you know about this great deal. Sephora is  offering a great deal called their Blockbuster Palette. Check it out – it’s only $48!

What it is:

The ultimate makeup palette for eyes, face, and lips, all you need for complete classic beauty.

What it does:
Create any look in the book, or your imagination, with the Sephora Brand Collector’s Edition Palette. This sleek all-in-one compact opens to reveal eyeshadow, blush, lip gloss, and powder on stackable, sliding trays. A selection of applicators and a mirror embedded under the lid of the compact give you all the tools to create a polished, expert look anytime, anywhere. Now you can make your look a personal masterpiece, from trendy to timeless, the sky’s the limit.

What else you need to know:
The Sephora Brand Collector’s Edition Palette sets the gold standard and gets you set. This palette has it all: 71 eyeshadow shades (0.04 oz each), 13 cream eyeshadow shades (0.03 oz each), 5 blushes (0.19 oz each), 1 compact powder (0.19 oz), 60 lip glosses (0.03 oz each), one lip liner, one eyeliner, 4 brushes, 3 sponge-tipped applicators, and a smart black case that’s as classy as you are.

Apparently you can create over 300,000 looks with just one palette – crazy, right?

Beauty News Snippets

 

Bare Escentuals on the Go!

In celebration of Sephora’s 10-year anniversary, Bare Escentuals created this portable, limited edition flow-through brush filled with Mineral Veil, the original on-the-go essential.

A “Best of Sephora” award-winner, Mineral Veil provides the ultimate translucent finishing touch to makeup, infusing skin with softness and light for airbrushed perfection. It gently absorbs oil and minimizes the appearance of lines and pores for a fresh, flawless look all day.

Happy Anniversary Sephora!

Vincent Longo Limited Edition Flower Shadow Collection

Vincent Longo’s Flower Trio Eyeshadows are carefully selected combinations of unique colors that make color-matching a breeze. Vincent’s formula smoothes on easily, so you get mistake-proof application, and wears all day for a fabulous, lasting look. Inspired by Mediterranean wildflowers on La Riviera Dei Fiore in Italy, the alluring vibrancy in these artistic, feminine ensembles will bring your eyes to life!

These must-have, delicate flowers will help you create truly irresistible eyes. They are sleek, easy to use, and travel friendly, so don’t leave home without your flower power!

 

 

World’s Most Expensive Body Cream?

This Month, Kanebo is launching what it believes  to be the most expensive body cream on the market.

At $400 for 6.7 oz, indeed Sensai Premier Body Cream outpaces at least one of the category’s most prestigious competitors, La Mer, which sells its body cream for $195, a bargain — comparatively speaking — for a 10.3-oz jar.

But will consumers think the product is worthy of such a price tag?

“We are pretty confident that the body cream will be just the right fit and we are quite confident the consumer will respond to it,” said Juliano Gomis, national training director, Kanebo Cosmetics USA. Sensai Premier.

What do you think? Will you be plunking down 400 bucks to snag a bottle of the cream?

Patyka’s US Launch

Eco-friendly French skin care firm Patyka is opening its first store in the U.S. next month, a 450-square-foot outpost that will be located in Manhattan’s West Village.

“The idea is to combine organic and luxury,” Andrew Corrie, president of New York-based Patyka USA, said of the Ecocert-certified brand’s positioning.

In addition to showcasing the brand’s 50-plus face care products; body oils, creams and washes, and fragrances (priced from $32 to $59), the new space, at 33 Carmine Street, will have a room for facial treatments and a cosmetics consultation area.

All you NYC readers have to let me know all about it once it opens its doors!

Have a great weekend!

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Too Cute For Words

Gwen Stefani loves her Harajuku girls. And to show her love for them she’s morphed them into  tiny perfume bottles! Inspired by the electric street scene of the Harajuku shopping district in Tokyo, the Harajuku Lovers fragrance collection captures the lyrics and iconography from Gwen Stefani’s albums. Five scents have been released for the debut and each fragrance bottle is modeled after Gwen’s real-life Harajuku entourage: Love, Angel, Music & Baby (Also the acronym for her designer purse line, L.A.M.B. – I told you she loved her girls!) The fifth scent represents their leader, “G” 

The tagline for the fragrance line is “a fatal attraction to cuteness” and it’s true, the bottles are adorable.

I went to Nordstrom’s last weekend to check them out in person. I don’t typically like scents inspired by singers and actresses (yes, even you, Jessica Simpson) but I have to say that these were pretty unique. Very sweet and flirty with a hint of oriental flavors. And if you haven’t guessed by my obsession with Hanae Mori – I looove Oriental scents. Check out the basenotes below. There are definitely some elements that I’ve never seen before like drydown of lollipop accord:

 

• LOVE is a floral with top notes of sparkling bergamot, pink pomelo, peach and bamboo leaf mist; a heart of watery peony, living hydroponic lace rose, jasmine sambac, nectarine blossom, creamy paperwhites and Egyptian jasmine, and a drydown of petally ylang, creamy vanilla orchid, sensual musk and blond wood.
• LIL’ ANGEL is a fruity floral with notes of raspberry, cranberry, blackberry and pineapple; a heart of pear blossom, candied violet and sugared rose, and a drydown of lollipop accord, hinoki wood and crystal amber.
• MUSIC has top notes of clementine and sparkling pear; a heart of jasmine sambac, sweet pea and honeysuckle, and a drydown of vanilla, skin musk and sleek woods.
• BABY has top notes of freesia, bergamot and white rose; a heart of orange flower, tiare flower and jasmine petals, and a drydown of white musk, soft woods, heliotrope, vanilla and violet.
• G has top notes of crisp mandarin, fresh coconut and apple skin; a heart of jasmine sambac, soft freesia and magnolia vapor, and a drydown of coconut cream, white sandalwood and cottonwoods.

 

So all in all, I like the new line. Very unique and fresh. Plus those little dolls would totally jazz up my vanity. Let me know what you think if you get a whiff.

Check them out at Nordstrom and Sephora.

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Beauty with a Cause

To help fight breast cancer, Sephora is offering a collection of pink ribbon products. Each participating brand will donate a portion of the proceeds to organization helping raise awareness and find a cure. See, just because we’re obsessed with beauty doesn’t mean we’re shallow!

 

Balmshell Lipgloss 

What it is:

A slightly flavored, conditioning lip gloss with very unique packaging.

What it is formulated to do:
This unique formula creates a smooth high gloss finish to enhance and give the appearance of full supple lips. Balmshell is slightly flavored with a hint of natural fruity vanilla. All 15 shades are moisturizing and non-sticky, but vary in sparkle and shimmer.

What else you need to know:
Like every woman, each Balmshell shade has a unique personality and comes in a distinctively packaged tube that contains a moving illustration unique to each shade and story line. When the lip-gloss is done, the handle can be unscrewed and re-attached to the keychain provided with the product.

*The 1 In 8 lip gloss was designed to educate people and to promote awareness of breast cancer. Between two blossoming trees hang eight bras varied in size, color, style, and shape symbolic of the many different types of women. As the tube of gloss is tilted, a hot pink target slides back and forth. Reinforcing the statistic that approximately 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. $1 from every 1 In 8 lip gloss sold will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).

 

Lacoste Touch of Pink

Touch of Pink triggers a delicious feeling of freedom and independence for the vivacious woman. Feminine heart notes of jasmine and violet are blended with fresh, fizzy notes of coriander leaves and blood orange, and soothed with soft sandalwood, musk, and vanilla.

*A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of each 1.6 oz Eau de Toilette Spray will be donated to the Young Survival Coalition, an organization that lends help and support to young women with Breast Cancer.

 

Notes:
Coriander Leaves, Blood Orange, Cardamom, Jasmine, Violet Leaves, Carrot Seed Oil, Sandalwood, Musk, Vanilla.
Style:
Whimsical. Daring. Captivating.

 

Murad Energizing Pomegranate Lip Protector SPF 15
What it is:
A lip treatment infused with antioxidant pomegranate extract.

What it is formulated to do:
Pomegranate Lip Therapy revitalizes and protects dry, dehydrated lips by improving texture to restore suppleness and infusing antioxidants to fight free radicals.

 

*10% of the retail purchase price will benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

 

Korres Quince Body Butter

What it is:
A divinely rich, quince-scented smoothing cream for dry elbows, heels, and knees.

What it is formulated to do:
The emollient balm can also be used over the entire body, preferably onto warm, damp skin, after bathing to lock-in moisture.

 

Be beautiful and make a difference!

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High Voltage Makeup

Kat Von D, the high energy, rock’d out owner of High Voltage Tattoo parlour (the tattoo studio featured on TLC’s LA Ink) has just launched her new makeup line. Anyone who has seen Kat knows that she exemplifies old school Hollywood glamour – think pin-up girl meets biker chick. Below are Kat’s tips for getting her signature look.

EYES
“I didn’t discover eyeshadows until recently,” Kat divulged. “I used to use liners and that was it, but now, I couldn’t imagine life without eyeshadows!” First, she picked up the Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palette in Beethoven and Kat Von D Kat Eye Brush Set. “I start with a brown Leather shadow to the lids, rounding around the outer corners and beneath the lower lash line. I then dip the brush in black Lucifer and blend the two shades together really well-for about one minute on each eye. Then, I go over the shape with Leather again, to make sure it’s totally smooth.” Kat used the yellow shade in the Beethoven palette to highlight under the brows and in the inside corners of the eyes. To create her signature cat eye, Kat usesKat Von D Autograph Eyeliner in glittery Black Metal Love on the bottom and top lids, flicking out at the corners.

BROWS
For an extra dramatic, sculpted arch, Kat used the slanted brow brush in Kat Von D Kat Eye Brush Setto fill in her brows with black Lucifer shadow from the Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palette in Beethoven. “Brows are so important to frame your eyes,” says Kat. “The bolder, the better!”

LIPS
Kat loves red lipstick-so much that each of the four lipsticks in her line are a different shade of crimson. “Nothing makes you feel sexier than the perfect shade of red lipstick,” says Kat. “I rely on each shade for different occasions, but the shade I find myself putting on again and again is Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick in Underage Red.” A bright, tangy shade of fire engine red, it caps off Kat’s gorgeous look with the perfect dose of flare.

Kat’s line is available at Sephora. Shop the brand here: Kat Von D 

Rock on!

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Save Face

It’s officially the first day of summer! The absolute best season of the year (in my humble opinion). I hope you are all fully enjoying the longest day of the year today and hopefully you’ve adorned yourself with the summer’s most essential accessory–sunblock. I’ve always found it especially difficult to find a good sunblock for my face. And although I’ve been completely guilty of skimping on the SPF in the past, I’ve learned my lesson and am ready & willing to pass along some good nuggets to you all. Real Simple has listed 5 great sunblocks for your face for every occasion.  

1. For the Natural Product Lover: Korres SPF 30 High Protection Sunscreen Emulsion – non chemical ingrediants such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide make a strong shield. www.sephora.com

2. For the City Slicker: Lancome UV Expert 20 – Lightweight protection that works well under make-up. www.lancome-usa.com

3. For the Beachgoer: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 85 – this powder-based lotion is sweatproof and water resistant and won’t leave the skin feeling greasy. at drugstores

4. For the Traveler: California Baby SPF 30+ Sunblock Stick – a compact but effective stick that can cover even large areas. Plus it’s made for babies so it’s non-irritating. www.californiababy.com

5. For Everyday Use: Aveeno Positively Radiant  Daily Moisturizer w/ SPF 15 – My own personal favorite. It’s clinically proven to tone skin and it has natural light diffusers. at drugstores.

There. You’re armed with plenty of sun protection options so now there’s no excuse for not slathering on the all important SPF before heading outside this summer.

Happy Summer!!

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