Darphin Lip Balm: That Spa Smell, This Time for Your Lips

Like Laura Geller, Darphin is a brand I've known of for quite some time, but never got around to trying. My introduction to the line was the Age-Defying Lip Balm, which combats dryness and the appearance of vertical lip lines thanks to a blend of peptides, rosemary and sunflower oils, kokum and mango butter, and argan oil.At $40, it is by far the most expensive lip balm I've ever used. I'm not

Preserve Your Vacation Hair with Redken Blonde Glam

What you see at left is the effect of the Hawaiian sun on my hair.Just a couple of weeks of playing outside kept my highlights fresh, turning the blondest pieces even blonder, and making me look like I just stepped out of the salon, even though the highlights were already almost two months old. It brought out depth and layers in the highlights that I hadn't seen since they were truly fresh (my

Get Baked with Urban Decay

Friends, I am on SUCH an Urban Decay kick lately! (Check out this recent post, and this one, and this one.)My latest obsession is the Get Baked Palette ($28). First off, the palette itself is adorable, with a brown floral, '60s mod cover and an aqua interior.Inside you'll find four shimmer-packed shadows, a fabulous 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil, and a mini Primer Potion in Sin.The shadows work really

Red Alert: The Return of the Clear Red Lip

A while back I wrote a post on the best lip products to help you achieve that gorgeous "clear red" lip - sheer and light, but juicy and saturated. Well, it's time to add another product to the list: MAC See Thru Lip Color in Secret Crush.See Thru Lip Color is a gel-based stain that goes on sheer and builds easily for more depth of color. Unlike many other stains, it's not drying at all.Secret

Office Romance: Michael Kors Mini Leg Shine

One of my favorite quick fixes for pale, dry legs is Michael Kors Leg Shine (in fact, I think this marks the fourth time I've written about it!). This solid, shimmery bronze stick allows for hands-free application, and adds just a touch of sheer color and shine to legs.And of course, it's scented with the delicious sandy tuberose goodness of Michael Kors. On hot summer nights, that's all the

Laura Geller Bakes Up a Flawless Complexion

I've been familiar with the Laura Geller line for quite some time, but never really had the chance to play with any of the products (other than on my Sephora missions). I finally took the plunge with Balance-n-Brighten, a baked powder created to even out your skin tone.Balance-n-Brighten comes in two shades, Fair and Medium. Fair is swirled with soft tan, beige and ivory, while the Medium is

Weekly Rewind, 6/14 - 6/21

Find out which new MAC polish is perfect for creating a luxe Palm Beach mani...with a few caveats. A long-lost LORAC blush/bronzer emerges from the depths of the beauty closet! Nine ways to get smooth, shimmery skin this summer. Check out MAC's latest collection, Style Warrior. Skinsheens are BACK! Estee Lauder releases three limited-edition Pleasures flankers for the summer. Eight truly awesome

Vacation Essentials: Hawaii

In the spirit of my past Summer Essentials posts (check out this one and this one), here are a few of my must-haves from my recent Hawaiian escapades. It's such a laid-back place, so I packed light and focused on multi-tasking products, with a few standouts thrown in for some extra pop.1. Bumble and bumble Creme de Coco Masque ($26) Can't go anywhere without my favorite hair product! This proved

Would You Risk Your Eye Color For Longer Lashes?

Last year we talked about an upcoming drug from Allergan that promised to stimulate eyelash growth, giving you "longer, fuller darker" lashes, but with some pretty scary potential side effects. At the time, 80% of you said you'd skip it.Well, that product - called Latisse - is now on the market, and I'm sure that by now you've seen the commercial with Brooke Shields, posted above.The results look

Fragrance Nostalgia at the Gap: Heaven and Dream are Back!

Earlier this week I was at a half-day meeting that thankfully ended with cocktails (woo!). But standing around with a glass of wine for two hours KILLED my feet, friends. My penchant for towering heels had taken its toll in the worst way. Damn you, Christian Louboutin.Having departed the cocktail party, I realized I wouldn't even be able to make it out of the building without collapsing from the

Pretty in Pink: 12 Gorgeous Glosses

There's nothing like a great pink lippie to add a fresh pop of color to your summer look! I have a major soft spot for pink glosses; in fact, as I was going through my collection to write this post, it was difficult to narrow it down to 12. Check out my favorite pink lip glosses below, ranging from cotton candy to deep raspberry, in shimmer, cream, and plumping versions. What are your favorite

Not the Holy Grail, But Close: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil

I know I've mentioned this before, so forgive the ranting, but I have a problem with lip pencils.My slightly asymmetrical mouth and "soft" lip line pretty much demand the use of a pencil when I'm trying to achieve a polished, finished lip look, so I know I'm stuck with 'em. But, most of the shades marketed as "nude" or "natural" are nothing of the sort on my lips; they just end up looking orange

Cheap Thrills: 8 Drugstore Beauty Bargains

Wallet feeling the strain these days? Check out some of my favorite drugstore beauty bargains, most for $10 and under:1. Vaseline Cocoa Butter Vitalizing Gel Body Oil ($7.49) is an amazing body moisturizer, and smells deliciously of cocoa butter and almond. In the winter, it's perfect for combating super dry skin, and for hot summer nights, it adds a rather fetching sheen to legs and shoulders.2

Estee Lauder Makes a Splash: 3 New Pleasures Flankers

This summer, Estee Lauder deconstructs the iconic Pleasures and introduces three splashes built around various notes of the original. Baie Rose Peony, Sandalwood Amber and Jasmine Violet come in massive 8.1 oz splash/spray bottles (think Marc Jacobs splash), as well as utterly cute floral box packaging.I've been test-driving Jasmine Violet ($52) and have been pretty impressed with the staying

New Collection: MAC Style Warrior

Whoa. MAC Style Warrior is quite the comprehensive collection, isn't it? We've already talked about a couple of items in this collection (Solar Riche bronzer and Peaceable nail lacquer), so let's take a look at the rest of the goodies up for grabs in this limited edition collection. Click the image above to enlarge and get a better look at everything.The five eyeshadows range from neutral to

Nine Ways to Shine On This Summer

Looking for some pixie dust in your life? Now that summer is upon us, top up that tan with a little nighttime shimmer. Check out these nine standout products in varying formulations, shimmer levels, scents, and price points. I've focused on neutral/colorless shimmers for this piece, but if you're on the hunt for a body bronzer, look no further than this post from last summer, with all the deets

From the Depths of the Beauty Closet: LORAC Blush/Bronzer Duo

As you might imagine, I have quite the stash of beauty stuff. And more often than I'd like, things get lost, buried, accidentally tossed, given away...you get the idea.I thought I had long lost this excellent blush/bronzer duo from LORAC, but on a cleaning binge two weekends ago, lo and behold...there it was, stuck in the very back of a drawer. Score!I bought this Blush/Bronzer Duo in Hot Flash

The Palm Beach Mani: MAC Peaceable

Rock a retro Palm Beach vacation look this summer with this nail polish from MAC. Peaceable is a pearly, frosty pale golden beige, and is best paired with a tan, a bikini with fierce gold hardware (like this one), and a ridiculous beach caftan (like this one).Just watch it, though, ok? Because this particular polish, if styled incorrectly, puts you in serious danger of looking too much like a

Weekly Rewind, 6/7 - 6/13

What a week! It feels so good to be back, friends.Check out the slightly cryptic comeback post, and then find out what's been going on with me the last couple of months.Fill your shower with that expensive spa smell, thanks to this fab body scrub from Erno Laszlo.Find out which bronzer earns my "safe for pale people" seal of approval.Check out this week's Steals and Deals, including big savings

New Collection: MAC Naked Honey

MAC's Naked Honey collection is on counters this month, and while it's a small collection, I'm really loving the wearable, shimmery shades and the sweetly scented body goodies.All three Lipglasses (She's a Star, Queen Bee, Buzz) are easily wearable and look like a summer sunset. Love! My pick is the sheer pale gold She's a Star, perfect for layering over other colors for a shiny pop of gold, or

Put Your Faith in a Potion...Or Just Buy Insurance?

We've talked many times about how Urban Decay Primer Potion is a life-changing, amazing, must-have product. I mean come on, the elimination of eyeshadow creasing and migration is MAJOR, no?But the packaging of this little miracle is a royal pain. Think your tube is empty? Not so! (Check out this post for the background.)I was getting a little tired of scraping the extra UDPP from the stupid

Secret Sauce: Summer by Kenzo Dry Oil

Friends, something new has entered the pantheon of Scents Men Love. Remember the cop-attracting Marc Jacobs Cucumber? Or the one from Bond No. 9 that drew comments from strangers...during a date?Well, now there's a new entry in this special little category. Meet Summer by Kenzo Dry Oil.I blogged about wanting it a few months ago during Kenzo's Friends & Family event, and I was NOT disappointed,

Tiny Treats: VS Mini Hand Sanitizers

Longtime readers will know that I have a major weakness for hand sanitizers (the alcohol-based ones, I should note, not the triclosan-based ones that supposedly contribute to the development of superbugs).Anyhow, yeah, obsessed. Especially with hand sanitizers that smell nice and come in wee little bottles that I can throw in all my purses and stash all around the house and office.Last year I

Steals & Deals: 25% Off All Bobbi Brown, 20% Off Waterproof Tarte, 20% Off Bath & Body Works, More

Get 25% off your entire order at Bobbi Brown! Enter code SUMMER1 at checkout. This is the last day, so don't wait.20% off Waterproof Wonders from Tarte Cosmetics, including mascara and lash and lip stains. Enter code WATER20 at checkout. Expires 6/30.20% off purchases $25+ at Bath & Body Works - online and in store. Enter code 9656 at checkout. Good through 6/14.Last day for a fab 11-pc gift with

Bronzer for Pale People: MAC Solar Riche

When I first popped open my MAC Solar Riche Bronzing Powder and swept some across my cheeks, I had a curious feeling of deja vu. Was it the name? The packaging? The idea that I may just have tried too many bronzers and they all look the same now?Turns out it was, indeed, the name. Solar Field was part of last summer's Solar Field collection, but was packaged in that shiny bright orange case that

Tweet Tweet: Steals & Deals on Twitter

One of the features I personally missed most during my hiatus was the Weekly Steals & Deals -- it seemed the worse the economy got, the better the deals!While I work my way back up to full-time status here, I've decided to give Twitter a try for updating you on the latest discounts, codes and freebies (and other random tidbits, as well). My inbox has been full of great deals lately and I'm

That Spa Smell: Erno Laszlo Gentle Body Exfoliator

The spa smell. You know it? It's that somewhat undefinable mixture of cucumber, citrus, and vague aromatherapy-like notes that you can't quite put your finger on, but the first word that comes to mind is always "spa."(Secret: Sometimes, the second term that comes to mind when I get a whiff of this scent is "rich people." Don't ask.)I'm a major sucker for beauty products with the spa smell (not

What's Going On

Anybody out there?I know, I know. I've been fully gone for over two months. I just spent a good half hour reading all the comments on my last (April) post, and while some of them were rather nasty - and yep, I deserved it - it seemed that the general sentiment was one of concern. Lots of "Are you OK?" (One reader even asked if I died!)First of all, THANK YOU to those who were so supportive and

Nobody Ever Goes In...And Nobody Ever Comes Out!

"...Finally Mr. Wonka shouted, "I shall be ruined! Close the factory!" And that's just what he did. He locked the gates and vanished completely. And then suddenly, about three years later, the most amazing thing happened. The factory started working again, full blast! And more delicious candies were coming out than ever before."Stay tuned...