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!

New Fabulous Foundation and Concealer

The other night I realized that after being in the sun for a few days in Cabo, my foundation didn't match my skin anymore. Even though I protected my face, I still got a touch of color. When I put on my old concealer and powder my face was a VERY different color than my neck and chest. YUCK!

So something had to be done. I have heard raves about Laura Mercier products for awhile now, especially her concealers, so I decided to try them out. I needed to pick up some things at Macy's (tights... I am loving the sweater dress and tights combo for winter work wear right now) and so I headed straight to The Laura Mercier counter since its strategically placed right at the bottom of the down escalator at the Macy's in Union Square.

The sales people were very helpful and nice. I told then I wanted a new powder foundation and a spot concealer. The woman found a powder (No. 2) that is a perfect match for my skin and showed me how to apply their highly rated Secret Camouflage concealer (she also selected SC 2).

Secret Camouflage is a compact concealer that comes with two colors. For perfect application, use a small-tipped brush and mix the two colors on the top of your hand, to warm up the makeup and make it easier to apply. Then lightly dab on the spot you want to cover, blending into your skin. Set lightly with powder. It is the easiest application I've tried and really is effective. I had some nasty breakouts after vacation, but no one could tell after this stuff! Glorious!

I am very happy with my new foundation routine. It looks flawless without looking overly made up. I love powder foundation because it is buildable, so depending on how you feel about your completion, it can give your the coverage you want all the time. Love it!

Cover Lovely!

Laura Mercier's Seduction Collection

Laura Mercier's new Seduction Collection is gorgeous. I love using plums and violets as a sultry replacement for your basic black. "Make a bold statement with deep hues. Scarlet rose lips take center stage while eyes remain seductively dramatic in blue and plum shades of violet. Eyelashes are full and flirty. Nails in deep hues and the sweet scent of violets add the finishing touch."

I haven't stepped into the relm of falsies yet, but I love the eyeliner and the eye-colour quad. Against my better judgement, I might have to rack up my Nordstrom bill a bit higher this month.

Color Lovely!

Holiday Beauty Gift Guide: Home Fragrance

With the weather getting colder and fewer windows being left open, my apartment tends to get a little stuffy. To scent my place without losing heat, I love to light candles, spray room-fresheners, and find other yummy smelly things to enjoy around the house. What a better holiday gift to give than Home Fragrances? Here are some great ones to think about this season:


For the fashion-conscious homemaker: Marc Jacobs 'Home' Room Fragrance Spray ($65) is a very stylish, modern way to keep a room smelling fresh and delicious. The scent is dispersed through the room by an elegant fabric atomizer. Gorgeous!






For the baked goods maker: Laura Mercier's Almond Coconut Milk Candle ($42) sounds like it's made of all the yummy things in your holiday goodies but it's calorie-free to burn. Along with almond and coconut, there is powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a hint of cinnamon. Can you say YUM?





For the trendy nester: Fresh's Sugar Lychee Scented Candle ($48) is a deliciously hip mix of citrus scents and lychee fruit. A favorite scent among those in the know, who wouldn't want this burning on their mod coffee table this holiday?






For the brand name lover: Henri Bendel's Fragrance Reeds in Lemon Verbena ($28) is a stylish and yet vintage way to scent the home. The name shows quality, but the price won't break your bank. At best of all, it's available at Bath and Body Works, just a mall away.





For the tree hugger: If you can't have the windows open to the fresh outdoors, replicate the sensation with Blue Spruce and Juniper Berry scented home fragrance oils ($7.50 each) from The Body Shop. Don't forget to include a rustic and stylish oil burner like The Droplet ($16).



Shop Lovely! More Gift Guides to come!

Baked On Beauty

Right now I am obsessed with anything baked. No, not potato chips... makeup of course! Baked powders are absolutely the best. The pressed powder color is blended and then baked for an excessive amount of time (like 24 hours!) in terra cotta pans. The result is super pigmenty yet smooth color for your face and eyes, without the usual "binders" in regular powders that dull the intensity of the shade.

Laura Geller has a great array of baked products, including different face powders and eye shadows. I think I'll pick up her Baked to Perfection Kit ($60), available only at Sephora, which comes with three face powders (an all over face brightener and two blushes), a eye shadow duo, a mascara, and her excellent Spackle. Spackle is a great light weight makeup primer that has non-toxic silicone to fills in fine lines and leaves the skin nourished and glowing.

MAC Cosmectics' Mineralize eye shadow duos are also baked, to achieve intense, pure frosted color. I picked up Engaging the other day, a dark bronze and dusty pink duo with red veining. The pictures online don't do these products justice, check them out in person. I might have to pick up Family Silver as well, a light and dark grey silver with gold veining. Gorgeous!

Laura Mercier's excellent Mosaic Shimmer Blocs are also baked and have light-reflecting ingredients to gives you a subtle bronze glow wherever you want. The compacts contains four shades that can be blended together to achieve an all over face powder, or worn individually as eye shadows.

All these baked products give you an exceptional amount of color and shimmer, but the best part about the eye shadows is they can all be applied wet and/or used as an eyeliner for a more dramatic effect. Keep your eye out for other baked products and let me know what you find!

Bake Lovely!