Sleeping Beauty

Posted on October 24, 2007 by daneen in Featured | Leave a comment

Having trouble falling asleep? Warm milk and counting sheep no longer cutting it? Believe it or not, the right beauty products could help you catch up on some much-needed beauty sleep.

Spoiled Pretty suggests you soak and shower your way to a good night’s rest.

Drift off to sleep with Bath & Body Works Dream Bath in Vanilla Chamomile. This luxurious cream bath contains a unique blend of essential oils to soothe you and enhance sleep, and aloe to nourish and rejuvenate skin. Vanilla absolute helps to calm feelings of stress that can keep you from falling asleep and chamomile essential oil has a lulling effect, to enhance sleep.

Borba Atomizer Linen, Face & Body Reviving Mist is the first and only linen, face, and body mist. The lightly scented mist not only moisturizes and softens your skin throughout the day, it also helps you instantly unwind at night with its relaxing sweet almond fragrance.

TJ Maxx Is My New BFF

Posted on October 23, 2007 by daneen in Scrub | 3 Comments

You all know that I heart Sephora. I’m also a fan of department stores and specialty boutiques. But my new favorite places to shop for beauty products are retail chains like TJ Maxx and Marshalls. To me, there’s something so satisfying about rooting through shelves of crap and spotting the perfect product – as if it was put there especially for me to find.

This weekend, I went to TJ Maxx – and was amazed at what I found: GapBody body lotion for $5.99; a gift set of three Jaqua Shower Syrups for $9.99; and Lucky Chick Mandarin White Orchid Sugar Body Scrub for $4.99. I’ve also spied products from Peter Thomas Roth, Juice Beauty, Davies Gate, and N.V. Perricone on shelves at TJ Maxx. And you’d be amazed at the fragrance selection…not too long ago, my Mom bought a 1.7 ounce bottle of Hanae Mori Butterfly Eau de Parfum for $29.99 (retail value $85)!

Spoiled Pretty Tip: On your next trip to TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and similar retail chains – be on the lookout for products from CST (Commonwealth Soap and Toiletries) and Asquith & Somerset. These bath and body products are high-quality at a low price (most items are under $8). Right now, I’m loving CST’s Tangerine Vanilla Sugar Scrub…it gently polishes my skin, and smells just like an orange creamsicle!

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

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.

This 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.

Ask And You Shall Receive

Posted on October 21, 2007 by daneen in Celebrities, Perfume | Leave a comment

Interview the stars! InStyle.com gives you the opportunity to ask your favorite celebrities a question.

READERS ASKED: What was your first fragrance?
GWEN SAID: “Love’s Baby Soft. Probably because it was the one that I saw over and over again in commercials. I’ve always been into beauty products. As a kid one of my favorite stores was Sav-On Drugs. I just loved the smell of L’Oréal lipstick.”

Dying to know how Halle Berry always manages to look so effortlessly beautiful? Find out what products she uses – click here to submit your question.

News You Can Use

Posted on October 21, 2007 by daneen in Featured | Leave a comment

I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit this, but I spent my Saturday night watching QVC.

Totally by accident, I stumbled on QVC while channel surfing…and was surprised by the addictive nature of their Beauty Newsmakers Face-to-Face, a special that gives viewers the inside scoop on beauty from the industry’s leading experts.

The program showcased new and bestselling products from Bare Escentuals, Borba, Essie, Kate Somerville, Laura Geller, Mally Roncal, Ojon, Peter Thomas Roth, Smashbox, and Tarte – just to name a few. I was also surprised to learn that many of the show’s featured products are QVC exclusives. For example, RareMinerals Blemish Therapy with Brush won’t be available at Bare Escentuals stores, counters, or on their website until February 2008 – but you can buy it now at QVC.

I usually consider myself immune to home-shopping television, but this particular program was absolutely riveting. The hosts were selling the you-know-what out of those products. I had to restrain myself, several times, from pulling out my credit card and picking up the phone.

For more information about the products featured on QVC Beauty Newsmakers, click here.

A Tale of Two Foundations

Posted on October 21, 2007 by daneen in Dry Skin, Foundation | Leave a comment

Yesterday, my quest for an everyday foundation took me to my local department store. I’d seen advertisements for Clinique’s new Supermoisture Makeup in my favorite fashion magazines, so I headed straight to their makeup counter.

On the Clinique website, the Supermoisture Makeup is described as having an ultra-creamy yet refreshingly lightweight formula that goes beyond flaw-fixing, providing a dewy look. Clinique promises that this product disguises unevenness with sheer-to-moderate coverage, resulting in soft and radiant looking skin all day.

Okay, so back to my shopping escapades…the saleswoman warned me that the Supermoisture Makeup is meant for individuals with dry skin. Now, while my skin can be an oil slick during the summer, it gets tight and very dry during the fall and winter months. So I told the woman that I still wanted to give it a try. She color-matched me, and the shade she chose was spot-on. However, it was much too dewy for my taste. In fact – it looked, dare I say, greasy. I would only recommend this product to those with extremely parched skin (think Sahara thirsty).

The story does have a happy ending, though. I walked out of Bloomingdale’s with Clinique’s Superfit Makeup in Nutty – an oldie but a goodie. And the helpful saleswoman threw in a gift with purchase (Colour Surge Eye Shadow Soft Shimmer in Twiglet and Continuous Rescue Antioxidant Moisturizer) to boot.

Virtual Reality

Posted on October 20, 2007 by daneen in Hair, Haircut, Makeover | Leave a comment

Want to test the hotest new trends, without the commitment? Why not try a virtual makeover? Here are a few of my favorites:

Who needs to end up on the wrong side of the scissors? Try on hairstyles at the Marie Claire Virtual Hair Salon. Make an informed choice by uploading your photo (or choose from our library of models) and virtually try on a variety of popular cuts, colors, and styles.

With InStyle.com’s Hollywood Hair Makeover, you can try on your favorite star styles and colors before you make a trip to the salon. Get Jennifer Aniston’s beachy waves or Jessica Simpson’s blonde – with a click of your mouse. Just upload your photo or choose a model with similar face shape and complexion. With new styles added every month, the possibilities are endless and the commitment is zero! Print your favorite looks or email them to friends!

Ready for a free, fun, no-hassle virtual makeover? The iVillage Makeover-o-Matic virtual makeover game lets you try on virtual hairstyles, makeup and accessories with your own photo or a model photo. Select from hundreds of hairstyles, cosmetic colors and accessories in the privacy of your own home.

Want to try on hundreds of CoverGirl shades? Just install the CG Makeup Mirror! It’s easy, fast and free to install, and takes less than 2 minutes to download to your computer. The CG Makeup Mirror is certified virus-free and is safe for your computer.