Beautiful Things My Mother Taught Me


Mom and me, circa 1979 Disclosure: This post is sponsored by CoverGirl. Mother’s Day is this Sunday and I’m so excited. Not just because Mr. Spoiled Pretty and my son, Westley, are treating me to a decadent brunch. But because it’s an opportunity to celebrate my hero, Andrea Stamps. I must admit that until two years ago, Mother’s Day was just another CONTINUE READING

Bath & Body Works 3-Wick Candles: 2 for $22


At Christmastime, I agonized over what to get my son's daycare teachers. There are 12 of them - and even though he has his two main teachers, they all have interaction with him and take excellent care of him. So I needed to buy 12 gifts to show my appreciation, without breaking the bank. $10 each seemed doable, except CONTINUE READING

IMAN Skin Tone Evener BB Creme SPF 15


As a beauty expert, I’m embarrassed by how late I am to the BB Cream party. In the past year, so many friends and colleagues have asked me about BB Creams—what’s the buzz, which brands are the best, etc. —and they would look at me funny when I admitted to not having tried BB Creams yet. I mean, they CONTINUE READING

CoverGirl Outlast Brilliant Shine Nail Gloss in Vio-last


I’m very fickle about my fingernails. Before I paint my nails or get them professionally did, I spend a inordinate amount of time pondering my polish options. I consider the season, recent trends, my wardrobe that week and anywhere special I might go. But despite all of this planning, I’m usually over my polish choice before it even dries. Not CONTINUE READING

My New Arm Candy: Rebecca Minkoff Swing Bag


After beauty products, handbags are my secondary addiction. But when it comes to arm candy, I have discriminating taste. For me, the perfect handbag seamlessly marries fashion with function, is handcrafted from high-quality materials, has really unique hardware and is classic but edgy - all at the same time. I don't like to carry the of-the-moment "it" bag. I CONTINUE READING

Bust a Move On Over to Saturday.com


Earlier this month, Kate Spade (aka creator of cuteness and the reason why I can't seem to keep money in my wallet), launched a brand new line called Kate Spade Saturday. Kate Spade Saturday is a new global lifestyle brand created to channel the spirit of Saturday seven days a week. This younger, more accessible sister to kate spade new CONTINUE READING

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Nail Polish

Breakup Makeup

Posted on November 27, 2007 by daneen in Cleanser, Eye Shadow, Lipgloss, Makeup Remover, Moisturizer, Nail Polish, Nails | 1 Comment

When we get our hearts broken, emotions run the gamut. We heal ourselves through tears, fill our iPods with sad love songs, and use Häagen-Dazs as an analgesic. But when things are going bad, sometimes the best revenge is looking good.

divorcee bottom right Breakup Makeup
Newly single gals can paint the town (and their nails) red with Orly’s Divorcée 6-Pix. The collection includes 50/50, Pawn the Ring, It’s Not Me, It’s You, One Night Stand, See Yah, and Take Him To The Cleaners.

mixtape Breakup Makeup
Got a friend going through a breakup? Buy her Hard Candy’s Mix Tape in Breakup Mix. It takes a lot less effort than making a real one, and she’ll look cute to boot. The palette feature three eye shadows and three lip glosses, so you can create a mix of color to match your mood. All the shades are made to coordinate, so it’s impossible to come up with a bad combination.

dearjohn Breakup Makeup
Benefit’s dear john lustrous facial cream is like a ‘moisture magnet’ for your skin. Use day or night to moisturize and put lustre back into your complexion. Voted “best face cream” by Elle magazine in 2006.

boscia Breakup Makeup
MakeUp-BreakUp Cool Cleansing Oil from Boscia is a miraculously different and extremely gentle way to deep cleanse, by breaking up all makeup, dissolving impurities and refreshing congested skin without leaving an oily residue.

Double Duty

Posted on November 6, 2007 by daneen in Nail Polish, Nails | Leave a comment

nailpolishremover Double DutyDid you know that nail polish remover does more than just remove nail polish? Accessories designer Melanie Dizon revealed to Lucky Magazine how she uses this beauty staple to clean patent leather.

What you’ll need: A couple of cotton balls and a bottle of standard-issue nail polish remover.

How it’s done: Immediately after wear, spot-clean surface stain by lightly rubbing with a cotton ball doused in nail polish remover. Air dry for five minutes then store the item in a cool place.

Then I Saw My Nails, Now I’m A Believer

Posted on October 28, 2007 by daneen in Nail Polish, Nails | Leave a comment

I’m the woman whose nails are never done. Not because I don’t care, but because the odds are never in my favor. It’s usually because my husband is complaining that the fumes kill his brain cells. Or I’m too exhausted to spend the hour and a half that it takes to properly do my nails. But even when I do make the time to give myself a manicure – inevitably, I get an itch that just has to be scratched, and I end up destroying the polish on one or more of my digits.

That’s why I was so excited about Incoco Dry Nail Appliqués, which “take a few minutes and result in professional manicure quality.” But being the skeptic that I am, I didn’t honestly think that this product would hold a candle to a trip to the nail salon – but beggers can’t be choosers, so I gave them a try.

Incoco DNA Then I Saw My Nails, Now I’m A BelieverThe Incoco Dry Nail Appliqués are dry strips of polish (basecoat, color, and topcoat layered and dried to the touch) that you fit to your nail size, peel off the backing paper, affix to your nail, and file off the extra. So, last night, I applied the appliqués according to the directions…and when I was through 20 minutes later, I couldn’t believe my eyes! For the first time in two months, my nails were done – and they looked like I had gotten them professionally done!

With Incoco Dry Nail Appliqués, there’s no smudging, no waiting, and no dead brain cells. The enamel bonds to natural and acrylic nails, for a manicure that lasts up to 14 days.

Available in 20 colors and 6 French Manicure shades (I’m modeling ‘Pink Satin’), each Incoco Dry Nail Appliqués kit contains 20 nail color strips, a mini nail buff, an orange stick, and a polish remover cloth. Sold exclusively at Walgreen’s.

Cause-Metics

Posted on October 25, 2007 by daneen in Lip Balm, Lipgloss, Nail Polish | Leave a comment

Cause Metics
Next time you’re at Whole Foods, after you load your basket with groceries, head on over to the body care section and look for PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics. This is a brand that should be on everyone’s lips (and fingertips) because it’s the first make-up company in history to donate all of its profits, after taxes, to women’s health and human rights advocacy issues. PeaceKeeper encourages women to use their power as consumers to make a difference.

PeaceKeeper balm Cause MeticsMy favorite PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics product is their Eco-Sensual Balm, a moisturizing and unisex stick that smells exactly like Wrigley’s Spearmint Gum. Eco-Sensual Balm soothes and hydrates lips with organic Palm, Jojoba, Coconut, and Virgin Olive oils – and is 73% organic and 100% vegan, natch.

The PeaceKeeper line also includes 12 Lip Paints, 10 Nail Paints, and 4 Lip Glosses.

PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics are sold at Whole Foods, Henri Bendel, Fred Segal, Marriott Spas, Earth Fare, and select Nordstrom stores.

Siren Song

Posted on October 23, 2007 by daneen in Blush, Eye Shadow, Holiday, Holy Grail, Lipgloss, Lipstick, Nail Polish, Oily Skin | Leave a comment

sirensong Siren Song
This past weekend, I stopped by Sephora expecting to just window shop. Oh, who am I kidding…does that ever really happen?

Aimlessly, I perused the aisles and tested dozens of products. I had no intention of actually buying anything, yet I couldn’t bring myself to leave the store. It was as if something was calling to me. Then I saw it – Viridiana lipstick from the Nars Siren Song Holiday 2007 collection.

viridiana Siren SongThis lip color had me at hello, ladies. At first glance, I was bewitched by the rich burgundy color. After testing it on my hand, I fell a little deeper in love. By the time the saleswoman finished carefully applying it to my lips, I was obsessed. And in the ten minutes between putting a tube of Viridiana in my basket and paying for it at the register, three women approached me to ask what lipstick I was wearing. Watch out, Dolce Vita…there’s a new diva in town.

Spoiled Pretty Tip: For daytime, apply Viridiana to exfoliated lips with your fingers – for a subtle, but sophisticated stain. At night, apply with a lip brush for more concentrated color. The beauty of Viridiana lies not only in the shade, but also in the formula – the semi-matte finish isn’t drying and stays where you put it, so you needn’t worry about the color staying inside the lines.

Nars’ Siren Song collection also includes:
Duo Eyeshadow (in Balthazar, Violetta, and Cheyenne); Lip Gloss (in Rose Gitane and Bad Education); Blush in Luster; Single Eyeshadow (in Night Snow and Night Rider); Lip Gloss/Lip Stain Gloss (in Metis/Victoire, Turkish Delight/Sayonara, Sand Piper/Dare Devil, and Moon Fleet/Indian Red); Nail Polish in Saratoga ; and Perfecting Powder Sheets.



pixel Siren Song

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