Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Spring Makeup: Get the look from Splendora

I came across this slideshow on Splendora and I knew I had to share it with you! I love spring colors and its finally that time of year again. So check out their slideshow on Spring Makeup: Color Trends.

My favorite look: Rianna's layered look of peaches and plums.
Spring Lovely!

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Sunday, April 27, 2008

Weekend Reads from BBN

The Daily Cookie gives her step-by-step on how to apply lashes in a breeze!

A Touch of Blusher loves the Golden Dior pendant.

StyleBell uncovers the Top 5 Flat Irons that work best with curly hair.

Beauty Anonymous invites you to the springtime nail colors of OPI 2008 Beyond Chic Collection .

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic check out Kiehl's Vital Sun Sunscreen and decides it has great broad UV spectrum coverage!

Beauty and Fashion Tech creates a great look using items from the new Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Cosmetic Line.

Product Girl asks What's in Your Bag? Check back daily for a new beauty blogger's bag each day!

The Muse gives her first impressions of the coveted MAC DressCamp Collection!

Beauty411 shares her review of Klean Bath + Body's Blue Hawaii Sugar Body Polish, which smells like a tropical island and exfoliates your skin, too!

Forget virgin daiquiris, The Beauty of Life is all about the gorgeous polishes from the new Extra Virgin Collection from Dashing Diva!

Need some luxury in your life? Beauty Junkie in SF finds her current high-end beauty favorites.

Want to take your hair from Flat To Fabulous? Then check out what The Makeup Divas recommends.

Win a gift set packed with Ferro Cosmetics mineral makeup goodies at Bionic Beauty!

Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog discovers Chanel's Leopard lipstick, a coral color that makes her go rrrrrraooow!

SugarShock Beauty has found a ticket to paradise with the tropically dreamy Lavanila Laboratories' Vanilla Coconut Fragrance.

Beauty Banter discovers a healthy, inexpensive, sun and streak-free way to get your bronzed glow!

Toya of The Life of A Ladybug asks "What's your 'thing' right now?"

Beauty Blogging Junkie recommends these product picks for the most relaxing bath ever.

Makeup Junkie finds a new best friend in Chi's Pink Flat Iron!

Glossypink shares her Holy Grail lipgloss!

Kitiya of Mischo Beauty has a reader who shares her favorite organic conditioner!

Beauty and Personal Grooming shares a few homemade antiwrinkle creams.

Makeup Moxie reviews Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo Spray.

Spoiled Pretty is giving away five bottles of Guess by Marciano Eau de Parfum. Contest ends Sunday, April 27th. Go get you some!

Link Lovely!

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Friday, April 25, 2008

Peachy-licious Bath Goodies

As the weather warms up in SF, I start to enjoy all the things that come with the sun. This includes fabulous fruits and flowers that bloom in spring. My favorite thing in my shower right now comes from... you guessed it: Sephora! I love their new colorful bath product collection. The packaging is sharp and clean yet bright and colorful with tons of delicious innovative scents to try. My first was Peach Blossom. The whole collection it great, but I especially love the body scrub. Just a little dollop on my body puff and I get tons of scrubby suds to exfoliate the winter away!

Scrub Lovely!

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Thursday, April 24, 2008

The Best In Luxury Beauty

The people at eLuxury.com are experts at finding the best of the best in... well... luxury! They offer an extensive array of clothes and handbags fit for fashionistas with large pocket books. But they also have some fab beauty offers that maybe still be on the "rich" side, but once in awhile, us middle income people can partake in their luxury too. Some of my favs:

Chantecaille Limited Edition Protect Paradise Eye Compact ($90): This exquisite pallet of eye colors is fit for a queen, a eco-aware queen that is. Not only are the shades wearable and fun, 5% of the proceeds are donated to fund research on fish sustainability and marine preserves. Now that might get you to buy it, but it's so pretty will you actually use it and ruin the design?!

By Terry Powder Eye Shadow ($37): For that kind of price for a tiny pot of eyeshadow color, this stuff better be fantastic. So far I've heard good things about By Terry, so I might partake. It does have an "exclusive combination of ultra-micronized pigments and ultra-smoothing optical prisms will enhance your eyes." Fancy, no?!

DiorLight Lip Gloss Necklace ($90): What better way to keep your look flashy then to combine your makeup and jewerly into one? I love this idea, just ask my friends. They tease me for wearing my Sephora lip gloss cocktail ring out on the town. What? I think it's cute and fun! Definately a conversation starter. This is definitely a step up in style and taste.

Luxury Lovely!

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Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Happy Earth Day!

Celebrate this special day with my favorite earth-friendly brands:


Everyday is earth day at The Body Shop. Check out all the things they do year round to better our world and provide great natural products, like their Hemp Hand Protector.

Celebrate with Ojon! Purchase any of there fabulous products for your hair and 10% of all their online sales at http://www.ojon.com/ through May with go to MOPAWI, a non-profit dedicated to promoting sustainable development in the native populations of Honduras' rainforests. Now that is a cause I can feel good about. Their signature product, Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment, is a must try!

Tarte Cosmetics is also offering a Earth day special, enter the code EARTH08 at check out, and recieve 20% off your order though May 2. Tarte's products are loaded with natural ingerients and free of mineral oil, sulfates, phthalates and synthetic fragrances. Their natural cheeck stain in Full Blossom is chalked full of super fruits to give you a double dose of color and anixoidants. Cool, huh?!




Earth Lovely!

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Sunday, April 20, 2008

Weekend Beauty Reads From the BBN

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic finds a great new gel eyeliner!

makeup loves me is helping you get ready for wedding season, by giving away 10 sets of french manicure fake nails!

StyleBell tries the CHI 44 Iron Guard Thermal Protecting Spray and loves it!

A Touch of Blusher is putting gold on the lips.

The Makeup Divas reviews and falls in love with La Mer foundations and powder.

Beauty Anonymous loves the natural-looking makeup from Physicians Formula Matte Collection Quad Eye Shadow.

Girl Gloss loves the all natural classic flavored lip balms from the Badger Company.

Beauty411 reviews Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser and Toner and has the 411 on the upcoming Kiehl's Earth Day promotion!

Find out why the Muse is loving Givenchy's Perfect Again! Corrector Palette!

Cybelesays helps you get stick straight hair with this 6" Powerhouse.

Stylish Opinion finds cosmetic bags that are actually eco friendly.

The Beauty Blog Network welcomes and interviews it's newest member, Beauty 411.

Elke reviews the "Gilette Venus". Is it worth the hype?

The Beauty of Life smiles pretty after discovering the tartly terrific Lemonade Smile Toothpaste by GoSMILE!

Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog checks out Goldrush, Dior's newest summer makeup collection, and gives you pictures and swatches!

Want lashes as sharp and precise as hi-def TV? SugarShock Beauty gives you the lowdown on Cargo's blu-ray Mascara.

The Daily Cookie digs shu uemura's new Rouge Unlimited Crystal Shine lip colors - check out why!

Beauty Blogging Junkie knows you'll love this news: no need to drop $300 on a T3 Hair Dryer anymore. The brand has come out with a $119 version that works JUST AS WELL but takes just a bit longer to dry.

Mischo Beauty shares her recommendations for an at-home skincare regimen to maintain the health of your skin in-between facials.

Kia of Yummy411 tries out MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Loose Foundation.

The Beauty Bug reviews the best exfoliating cleansers that all leave your skin soft, retexturized, and glowing!

Beauty Banter asks super hot Rock Mistress Alison Sudol of A Fine Frenzy to dish on her favorite skin products for a pore-free complexion!

Glossypink has found an amazing sunscreen that doubles as a makeup primer!

SPINLASH - the mascara with a rotating brush - promises to simultaneously separate, shape, coat, lengthen and volumize eyelashes. Does it deliver? Spoiled Pretty finds out!

Toya interviews her first beauty lover of color - Angie! Do you want to be interviewed, too?

Pursebuzz.com teams up with Beauty from the Earth for a fantastic contest. The winner will win 10 jars of multipurpose mineral makeup of your choice! Click here to enter. Good luck!!!

Makeup Moxie craves a luxe tropical vacay after trying Elizabeth Arden Mediterranean Breeze Body Shimmer

Link Lovely!

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Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Favorite Mini Beauty Items

Whenever I shop at Sephora, I am always tempted by the little bins lined up next to the register. They are full of small sized of great products to try and test. Some of my favorites are:


Philosophy Purity Made Simple To Go ($10): A great face wash in the perfect size to take on trips or an overnight bag. Although, at 3.5 oz, its too big to bring a plane... stupid TSA rules!




L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream Travel Size ($10): A perfectly wonderful hand cream to keep in your purse. It's small yet powerfully moisturizing.



Tocca Candelina Travel Candle Collection ($16 each): These candles are the perfect addition to any travel bag. To add a touch of comfort to a lame hotel room, light one while taking a bath or getting ready for a night out. My favorite is Celopatra, a clean, fresh scent.



Stila's Jade Blossom Perfume Solid ($20): I love the concept of perfume solids. A quick, easy dap and you smell fresh as a garden party on a summer day.



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Monday, April 14, 2008

Cool Gelato On a Hot Spring Day

This past weekend was the warmest weather we've had in San Francisco in  months. The hot sun baked down on all of us so as we shed our winter coats and boots for t-shirts and flip-flops, and sought fun in the sun. I headed to the gelato shop for a cool refreshing treat, but not before I popped into Sephora for some gifts. And to my surprise, I found a new kind of gelato.  


I've always loved Philosophy's Lip Balms. They are a fabulous stable that really moisturizes. Their new lip gelato collection is equally as pleasing as the original but they have 5 delicious flavors to choose from: tangerine, lime, grapefruit, lemonade, and pomegranate. I got Soul Mates in my favorite scent/flavor, Grapefruit. It has great shine and adds a bit of a plump to your lips.  But the best part is how not sticky it is! This one is staying in my purse for sure!

Gelato Lovely!

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Sunday, April 13, 2008

Weekend Beauty Blog Read from BBN

A Touch of Blusher continues the feast of vibrant colors.

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic tries out a mineral mascara.

SugarShock Beauty has found a blush with greatness: Pop Beauty's Rose Belle. It's perfect for achieving that healthy, rosy glow that's so now.

StyleBell shows how to create a fab Bridal half up half down hairstyle.

Want long, lush lashes? The Beauty of Life offers you the chance to win some with an amazingly lash-tastic contest, courtesy of Ardell Fashion Lashes!

The Beauty Bug gushes about a heat activated exfoliator that let's you know when your exfoliation is complete by changing colors!

Beauty Blogging Junkie has identified fashion items that do beauty duty. Find out which allows her to channel Elvira Hancock from Scarface.

The Muse reviews the Kiss Spring 2008 Collection directly from Japan!

Beauty Anonymous wonders if you also like to collect small sample containers.

The Makeup Divas reviews and recommends this sunless tanning lotion.

Beauty and Fashion Tech finds some great values when she compares the four new Milani mascaras.

Beauty Banter offers you 10 fabulous and practical TIPS for healthy, clear skin.

When you think of L'Oreal do visions of Nestle Crunch bars dance in your head? Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog ponders the speculation surrounding Nestle's possible takeover of the company and gives you some random L'Oreal fun facts.

Cybelesays found another liquid mineral makeup that rocks!.

Makeup Moxie is intrigued with the new Mineral Water Eye Brightening Pencil by Too Faced.

Mischo Beauty is pleasantly surprised after using natural skincare and mineral makeup by Erth.

Glossypink has found a website that takes virtual makeovers to a whole new level!

Mineral makeup is a huge hit, what about mineral eyeshadows? Pursebuzz.com does a review on Beauty From the Earth mineral shadows. Is it a hit or a complete miss?

Spoiled Pretty is giving away products that AG Hair Cosmetics contributed to the 2008 official Grammy Awards gift bag. Presenters and performers like Rihanna, Carrie Underwood and Kanye West were recipients of these amazing products - and now you can be too! Enter the contest today!

Toya is looking for makeup artists and beauty mavens of color who'd like to be featured on her site!

All Lacquered Up lets you in on this Summer's Nail Trend, Orange Polish, and suggests 6 hot colors.

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Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Clinique's Creamy Shimmery Eyeliner

My current eyeliner of choice is Clinique's Cream Shaper For Eyes. I bought it in Egyptian (a dark olive green with a touch of golden shimmer) awhile back and I have since gone back and pick one up in Black Diamond (a deep black with a touch of silver shimmer). I normally hate eye pencils that you have to sharpen, but this one glides on so smooth and the pencil is made of plastic, which makes it a breeze to sharpen. I can do a dramatic bold top line or blend it in with my finger or a smudger for a softer, smokey look. It lasts all day and all night without failing. I especially love that it has a touch of shimmer in it, so it is not just plain old black. Try one out yourself, at $14.50, you have no reason not to. I want more shades!


Line Lovely!

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Monday, April 7, 2008

Secret Weapon Against White Flakes

Now, I'm not saying I have an actual dandruff problem, but every so often my scalp gets a bit itchy and dry. It feels like my hair products build up on my scalp and I need a good cleansing to get it all out. Not from my volumizing shampoo which adds texture and weight to my hair, but a clean sweep of sorts that takes all the build up away. I've found that Neutrogena's T/Sal Shampoo does just the trick. I use it every few weeks or so and the buildup is automatically gone. It's made with the same stuff I use to exfoliate my face, salicylic acid, so it makes perfect sense that it exfoliates my scalp too. Check it out at your local drugstore or online at drugstore.com.


Clean Sweep Lovely!

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Jumped On The Mineral Bandwagon

I know I just wrote about how much I love my Foundation Powder by Laura Mercier, but as the compact emptied, I let my eyes wonder to other possibilities. I wouldn't be a junkie if I stuck to the same products! I now have a new favorite foundation! I will keep what is left of my compact for on the go touch-ups, but now I use Laura Mercier's Mineral Powder SPF 15. It is a loose powder that provides minimal coverage, but can be layered on for greater concealing. It feels light as air on my face and adds a bit of pearl essence to my complexion.

The lovely people at Sephora Union Street color matched me to Tender Rose, a pink ivory for very fair skin tones (I'm so pale after this winter!). It is easy to apply with a blending powder brush or a kabuki brush for more coverage, but it can get a tad messy if you aren't careful. I like the way it makes my skin look much more than other mineral powders I've tried (cough cough, BE). The coolest feature is the sliding lid, which blocks the holes so when you are travelling, all the product won't end up in the lid. So clever! But since it is a loose powder, I know better than to carry it around with me in my purse, least it get all over everything. So that's wear my almost empty compact comes in. Waste not, want not!

Powder Lovely!

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Sunday, April 6, 2008

Weekend Beauty Blog Read from BBN

Check out all that my lovely fellow bloggers have to offer:


"Might as well face it, you're addicted to love..." Flash back to the 80s and see Lilan from The Daily Cookie recreate a look from a popular music video!

Check out Beauty Anonymous' Current Favorite Lippy - Einstein Lip Therapy Hydrating Lip Cream

A Touch of Blusher puts on more blusher......

The Beauty Bug previews the new products that hit the counters and shelves this month.

Looking for affordable high quality makeup brushes? Check out The Makeup Divas review on these cosmetic brushes.

Girl Gloss loves Maybelline Volume XL Seduction Plumping Lip Gloss.

Product Girl tries out Avon's Supershock Mascara and gets shockingly plump lashes.

The Muse features her very favorite, holy grail mascara from Japan (Nope, not Fiberwig!)!

Mischo Beauty has a fabulous reader who wrote in to share why she loves Sunsilk’s De-Frizz 24/7 Crème.

The Beauty of Life hearkens back to her childhood with Bonne Bell LipSmackers. Check out her favorites!

See what products Beauty Blogging Junkie has deemed promtastic.

Savvy Skin is having a contest where you can win the zit zapping tool ThermaClear. Win a ThermaClear!

In need of an awesome hair mask? Glossypink found one!

Cybelesays has found some winning makeup brushes with the new ones from Sonia Kashuk

Embarrassed by dark marks, sun damage, or age spots? Don’t get mad. Spoiled Pretty tells you how to get even!

Is your hair showing signs of frizz? StyleBell has discovered the secret to keeping those locks soft, shiny and frizz free all on a budget! Hint: Apple Cider Vinegar

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic starts off her sunscreen review series by looking at Neutrogena's UltraSheer with Helioplex

Elessa of Pursebuzz.com gets a makeover by Glamour. Beauty Pro's transform's youtube "web stars" see it all here. Check out newsstands for May's issue, can't wait, go to Glamour.com.

Makeup Moxie feeds her faux glow addiction with Fake Bake Tantalizing Self-Tanning Butter.

Elke asks, if runway makeup has gotten too creative. Plus, the April Issue of The Beauty Ideal is out!

Stylish Opinion finds these truly stylish headbands.

The Beauty Blog Network spotlights their 'post of the day'.

Toya tries 100% Pure Cosmetics - with real fruit pigments!

Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog loves Gazelle, Chanel's hottest and newest lipgloss.

Link Lovely!

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Find A Great Mascara With Help From Splendora

I'm always on the lookout for a new fabulous mascara and it's easy to want to try new ones all the time since I try and replace mine every three months (and you should too!). The other day I got an email from an editor of Splendora, linking me to their mascara challenge results. I hadn't heard of Splendora but now I'm a member and a big fan, especially since they are based in my city!

Their mascara challenge compared drugstore and department store mascaras separately which I think is fair. I wasn't too surprised at some of the results (beauty bloggers write about Chanel and Lancome all the time!) but I am certainly going to get some of the highly rated ones I haven't tried. They didn't test L'Oreal's Voluminous mascara, a longtime favorite drugstore mascara of mine (**CORRECTION: yes they did, I missed in on the list, silly me!**) and MAC's Zoomlash didn't even make it into the runners up! Mascara is such a personal thing though. Everyone has different ideas about how they want it to go on and look. The descriptions of the top 5 are helpful since they point out what they liked and didn't like about each one.

Check out Splendora's other features too, like their city guides, classified ads. It looks like a great resource for all things stylish. Like I really needed one more website to look at for fashion and beauty!

Lash Lovely!

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Friday, April 4, 2008

Mens Fashion Show

Going to the Macy's Mens Fashion show tonight and my friends and I have backstage access! So excited! I'll let you know how it goes... I bet I'll see some half naked men... wearing makeup! Nice!


**UPDATE: The fashion show was fun. Lots of very attractive men in stylish outfits standing on platforms throughout the 3rd floor of Macy's Mens Department. I felt a little bad ogling at them all so blatantly, but then they changed into their next outfit, which for some was just swim trunks and I forgot my embarrassment. I'm not really a fan of guys in makeup, but most of these guy were naturally gorgeous and didn't need any at all. Some had way too much hair gel, which I really don't like, but they were all very nice to look at.

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Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Cheapy Lip Gloss From Sephora

Found a great cheap lip gloss with excellent color the other day and I thought I should share it with ya! Sephora's Ultra-Shine Lip Gloss is a great addition to any lip gloss addict's collection. I picked up one in Silver Raspberry 07. It's a fun color but I have little doubt I'll pick up more down the road.

Lip Lovely!

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