The Brows Have It!

Ulta Savings.

Just a reminder that college students can save money on makeup and other products at Ulta ... the 1st Tuesday of the month.

Students will save $5 off a $15 purchase.

FYI: A new Ulta just opened near the Bergen Mall in Paramus, NJ.

Denim Crisis

Folks, it was a beauty-filled weekend.
Don't ask me to explain what happened.
I got sucked in at Space NK.
Got my Poppy King Lipstick Queen lip crayon in Mystery and a new cleanser by Kate Somerville.
Will report on these purchases later.

In the meantime, if you have a minute or too, check out my friend's blog.

It's fabulous.

Beauty Contest

Mariobadescu is having a contest for acne suffers. Five winners will receive a consultation with one of the company's skin specialists and a customized regimen of Mario Badescu Skin Care products.

I've been using MB's acne line. I like the company's acne facial cleanser and glycolic cleanser. Good stuff. I also recommend their masks. Great products, reasonable prices.

For details go to http://www.mariobadescu.com/acne#contest .

A visit to Space NK

Tried a fun lip crayon today from Poppy King, Lipstick Queen.
Sadly I am not the lipstick queen.
Had lunch with a friend near 72nd street so I decided to pop into Space NK on Columbus Avenue. I really liked the crayon called mystery. It looks like a deep plum. But it is sheer and rich at the same time. A very pretty purple.
But, it was sold out.
Next time.

I also tried this Rachel Zoe-endorsed product called Glam Balm (Rodial). Very interesting product. It's supposed to give an instant lift to face and lips. But it also helps heal cracked feet -- so says the salesgirl. It felt wonderful on the lips. Very moisturizing. My lips felt well-protected. But I could not bring myself to purchase it because it was so expensive!

Later this week look for a post about Mario Badescu products. I'm using their Acne cleanser religiously -- well, sort of.

She's Here!

My own bottle of Chloe arrived via the USPS yesterday. I can't wait to sneak a spritz. So excited.

Chloe, I can't quit you.

An update on my recent post about Chloe. I have been emailing with my friend Amy about the perfume. As I mentioned, she's the one who first introduced me to the fragrance. She told me she also loves the Estee Lauder perfume Beautiful, but that she "can't stop wearing Chloe ... You find something at 16 that works for you -- you keep it, right. How rare."
Amy has two adorable little girls, Lucy and Penny. She sent me this note recently:

"I also associate Chloe with all the wonderful things that have happened to me -- living and working in Paris, meeting Jeff and now having Lucy. Lucy and I have a perfume ritual in the morning. I spray some on my arms and then rub on hers. She loves it too!
Chloe, I can't quit you!"


(What a wonderful way to start the day with your daughter. Thanks Amy for sharing.)

You, Me and Chloe.

To quote my dear friend Joanna, "I'm sweating Chloe," as in the perfume.

I first learned about this perfume from my friend Amy in Charlotte.
Poor Amy; whenever I would see her, I'd say, "you smell so nice."
Last time I saw her she said she had spritzed up just for me. What a nice gal.
I tried to buy it once, but didn't like it on me. But as of today, that is all in the past. A recent Bloomingdale's spray and sniff experience has made me realize that I can too can wear this lovely, floral fragrance.

I'd also like to give a shout out to one of my students who wears it too. Go Saskya.

40% EVERYTHING ONLINE

My friends at Three Custom Color are giving away their amazing products with a fire sale!

40% everything online!

CHECKOUT CODE: LOVE
Now through October 1st.

Now is a great time to stock up on your old favorites or try on something new for size.
One of the things I love most about makeup is that it doesn't come in sizes!

I love Three Custom's concealer trio. I use it at concealer and foundation! I also love the company's lip glosses; excellent color and never tacky! Same goes for their lipsticks. They are fragrance-free and very moisturizing.

Congrats to Three Custom for their recent appearance on QVC.

Nars Attraction

I am on a Nars kick. Just picked up a few more products including Morocco lip liner, $20 and a creamy taupe eye shadow called Corfu, $21.

Unfortunately, when I opened the box to my new bronzing powder Laguna, it looked like someone had stuck their finger in it. I'll be taking this back to Blue Mercury for an exchange. --JB

Blush & Mush

Dear readers ... a confession.

I bought the Nars Montenegro cream blush.

Love it!

I'm also enjoying Aveeno's leave-in treatment. It helps keep my hair manageable and soft. Also, I'm looking forward to trying Aveeno's Positively Ageless skin care line. The products arrived in the mail today!

I also received a sample of Banana Republic's new fragrance for women. I'll let you know what I think about the perfume in a week or so.

...A shout out to my students Diana and Angelica who tell me they like my hair curly. Thanks girls. Now get an edit!

Darling Michelle O.

Somebody tell me what lipgloss Michelle Obama is wearing tonight. She looks amazing.

Angelika!

I've never been a big blush fan. I mean, I like it on other people. But not on me. Thar's mostly because I have so-called rosy cheeks and don't need a lot of extra color. But every now and then a blush calls out to me. That's what happened with Nars' Angelika. In the container the blush appears very pink. But it's actually very flattering and not as bright as it appeared in the container. It's also nice when worn with Nars' cream blush Montenegro. (see below)


But I'd save Montenegro for fall. It's very rich and does a nice job of warming the face.

I have to say, the more Nars products I try, the more I like them.

I heart YSL.

I heart Yves St. Laurent.
One of the hottest beauty products right now is YSL's gloss stick.
Trouble is the coveted shade frozen plum is out-of-stock everywhere!
(The gloss pictured is NOT frozen plum)
I hate when this happens. You read about a cool product, you decide you want it and it's sold out.

I guess that's the real meaning behind supply & demand.

The gloss stick, by the way, reminds me of Bobbi Brown's shine sticks. But this is so very French.

Three Custom Color on QVC

Three Custom Color Specialists’ Debut on QVC! Tune in as Trae Bodge, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Three Custom Color Specialists, debuts the brand’s signature CRÈME CONCEALER/FOUNDATION formula on “Beauty Newsmakers Face-to-Face” on QVC, Tuesday, August 18th from 10-11PM
To use as foundation: Full coverage - apply with a dry sponge, foundation brush or fingers, pushing into the skin. Moisten sponge or brush for medium coverage. For sheer coverage, mix with your face cream to create a tinted moisturizer. To use as a concealer: after applying foundation layer, revisit areas that require more coverage with brush or fingers. Check out Trae in action, demonstrating more CRÈME CONCEALER/FOUNDATION application tips and tricks on “Beauty Newsmakers Face-to-Face” August 18th on QVC!

Boudreaux Baby Kisses & CVS

I've been waiting for the new CVS at 93rd & b'WAY. It opened while we were away. So far I'm a bit underwhelmed. Problem is I'm comparing it to the mega-CVS on West End Ave. Oh well. It's still convenient and the store did have a nice selection of haircare products.

And speaking of product, from the makers of Boudreaux's Butt Paste, a lip balm for babies. I've decided to test this out on my lips first. Translation: I bought this lip balm for myself under the guise of my son. It's great. Very soothing. No scent. Apparently it's made with peruvian balsam.

I'm also kind of excited about this new lip balm from EOS.

The actual product comes encased in a sphere (think melon balls). The idea is to eliminate the whole dipping finger in lip balm experience and go germ free. Nice idea.
Ingredients include vitamin E, shea butter and jojoba oil.
I feel like you can't manufacture a product these days if it doesn't have shea butter. But in this case, the balm is very smooth, soothing.

Fresh! New! Rose!

I can't wait to try out my new Fresh Sugar Rose lip balm/gloss.
It's in the diaper bag (so are my wipes).
Will report back.
I love sheer lip products.
So excited.

Henry Teethes

Last night was a rough one. Our 5-month old son Henry got up a lot in the middle of the night.



We suspect he's teething. Anyway, in order to lull myself back to sleep I started thinking about makeup. I'm not kidding. Somewhere between 12:45 and 5a.m. I was thinking about all of the makeup I want to buy or at least try. I found myself experimenting with different shades of nars lip liner. Did I want 'marnie' or 'rosebud?'

The more Henry cried, the more I wanted both. Funny though, because today when I was at CVS/Pharmacy, I had the opportunity to buy mascara cheaply (buy 1, get 1 free) and I didn't jump. I did, however, buy more teething toys.

Dove Keeps Underarm Hair at Bay!

I am happy to report that Dove's new Ultimate Visibly Smooth Wild Rose deodorant WORKS!

It did help to slow my underarm hair growth. It did not stop the hair from growing, but I noticed a change.

I liked the mild scent (better than B.O.) and the way the product glided on smoothly.

I will post a picture as soon as I get a jpeg. (That's a picture of the deodorant, not my pits!)

Please note that this product is a bit pricey $7.99 on drugstore.com, but it takes forever for me to finish a stick of deodorant so I guess I can live with the cost.

Strip and Sip!

I've always been picky about teeth.
I like 'em clean and straight. But I'm also fascinated with unique, imperfect smiles. Mostly though I like bright smiles with minimal tooth yellowing.

That's why I'm using Crest Whitestrips -- Advanced Seal. I'm a new mom and can use all the help I can get to keep me looking fresh.

What separates these strips from previous models? The Advanced Seal strips mold and adhere to the teeth extremely well. And they whiten effectively in 30 minutes. Also, you don't have to wait to drink water. You can actually strip and sip. The strips do not move and they cover the teeth very well.

Here's a hint -- try using strips on your top set of teeth only. Compare the top row with the bottom for whiteness. The strips take a few days to work, with full results taking 14 days. But if you want quicker results, you can wear two strips per day. I like to keep them in my diaper bag. If I'm about and about with the baby, I stick one on whenever I remember.

Please note that these strips left my teeth very sensitive. But this passes after a day or so.
Overall I've been very pleased with this product. I would recommend them to a friend.