All I want for Christmas...

Well, it's that time of year again. A super binge of compulsive overspending to show people our love -followed by a massive debt hangover in January. Sorry, my inner cynic just leaked out, but in keeping with all things Christmas I have decided to put together a list of things I want in my stocking. I will probably be getting none of these things this year since I am my own Santa, and these fall under the category of extravagances right now, but these are all things I really want from the world of beauty. Maybe next year...

1. Le Mer Creme de Le Mer. $135 for 1 ounce at Neiman Marcus. I have wanted this iconic cream for a long time - ever since I read about the magical broth concocted from the sea. One day this will be mine.

2. Rodin Olio Lusso face oil. $140 for 1 once from the website. Another trendy concoction I really want (need) made from 11 essential oils, and seemingly on every beauty insider's vanity.

3. Philip B Russian Imperial Amber Shampoo $50 for 3 ounces available from the Philip B website. I read an article on this shampoo stating it was the most perfect shampoo ever tried. The author said it seemed to make magic by granting the user her inner most hair desire. This product has been on the back burner in my mind for awhile.

4. Chantecaille Real Skin gel foundation, $65 at Neiman Marcus. I have used this, and it's dreamy. A lightweight foundation that gives skin a dewy glow. Chantecaille makes a face cream with real gold in it, but that is just over the top - even for me.

5. Prada Infusion D'Iris, 1.7 ounces, $78 at Sephora - a lovely fresh floral scent with a hint of citrus.

6. The Lashstash gift set from Sephora, $45 - 11(!) different mascaras to compare and contrast. I did receive this one year and had so much fun putting on a new mascara everyday.

7. Any candle and or perfume from Tocca. I wear their Florence perfume and have used their body products before. I would love their collection of travel-sized candles for $42 from their website, or an assortment of full sized candles and laundry wash. Their scents are romantic, but light.

Maybe Santa will bring me something from my wishlist this year, and if not well, my birthday is just around the corner.

Seasons greetings, beauty junkies!

Testing, testing, 1 -2- 3

So I tested three new products by Maybelline last week. I wanted to see if a drugstore brand could deliver boutique beauty at a bargain price. At best I would have some great new products for my beauty bag - at worst I wouldn't be out much money in my own unscientific version of a clinical trial.
1. Great Lash, Lots of Lashes - the claim - "gets to each and every lash with precision for lots of volume from corner to corner" Eh, it's ok. I'm a fan of the original Great Lash. This version has a cute brush and it's a serviceable mascara. Yes, it coated each and every lash, but lots of lashes? Not really. I wasn't blown away, and I'll probably go back to using my Mally or Benefit. About $6.50 at drugstores.
2. Baby Lips - the claim - women's lips were "82% less dry, 94% less rough, 77% more supple, 77% better looking lips" after four weeks in a clinical trial.
I'm a sucker for cute packaging, and Baby Lips has it. This product is a winner. I bought two. One tinted in Pink Punch and one clear in Quenched. I kept the clear in my bedroom to apply at night and the tinted one in my bag to apply throughout the day. I love the way it feels on the lips. I can't tell you if my lips were 77% more supple, but my lips felt great while wearing this and the softness lingered after it wore off. The tubes are super cute and the tinted one actually delivered a bright pop of unfussy, sheer color. This is going on my beauty gift list next month. Buy a bunch of these to scatter around. Love this product. About $4 at drugstores.
3. Eye Studio Master Drama eyeliner - the claim - "created with the highest concentration of pigments for more intense eye drama."
I was excited when I first used this eyeliner in Midnight Master (black). The pigment is intense like Maybelline claims. It glides on like a gel and I made a nice, thick cat's eye on my upper lids. However, it's an automatic pencil, so there is no way to sharpen it. After the point is gone, there is no way to get precision lines with this. I'm going to stick with Urban Decay's 24/7 pencil or Bobbi Brown's gel eyeliner applied with a brush. About $6.50 at Target.

Baby Lips is a clear winner, delivering on its promise at a bargain price. So glad I tried it. The others barely passed, and I think I'll pass on giving them a permanent place in my bag of tricks.

Coming soon...

Hi beauty junkies,

Happy Fall.
Coming soon I'm going to review three new Maybelline products that have intrigued me.
Baby Lips, Great Lash Lots of Lashes and master drama eye liner.
All three products promise high performance results at drugstore prices. I'm going to put them to the test and let you know how they work and if they deliver or simply fall flat.
See you, soon!

Surf's up

As I write this I need a sweater. There is a definite fall chill in the air, and I am stubbornly pretending it's not there. My feet are in flip flops and my hair is tousled in beachy waves - my favorite hairstyle.
So when I saw Bumble & Bumble made Surf Spray I knew I had to try it. It's $23 for 4 oz. at Sephora. You are supposed to spray it in damp hair and let it air dry or blow dry with a diffuser ( I haven't had one of those since the early 90s. )
I have been using it for awhile and my hair looks better when I use it then when I don't. I put it in damp and dry hair. I find I need quite a bit of the spray to do its magic. So I'm on the fence about recommending it for the price. I do like it, but this girl is learning to live life on a budget. But for now, I am enjoying my wavy, beachy hair and dreaming of next summer.

Found and Lost

I am in the process of cleaning out my basement/life/chest of drawers/fill-in-the-blank.  A few weeks ago, as I removed a trash bag filled with my sad luggage of the past - complete with unpleasant moldy basement smell, I stumbled upon a Lancome lipstick that brought my past right to the present. Matte Bourdeaux, a color I wore in high school and college. I always had my skin pale and that delicious dark, burgundy red on my lips.
That was part of my post-post-punk uniform. I held that lipstick in my hand and happy memories came marching in to that brain place they go. I uncapped it, screwed it up and looked at it. Half-way gone in the way all my lipsticks look, curved to a fine, thin tip. I took a whiff and thought can I keep this? My finders glee mingled with my fear of germs and mold. In the end my fear and nose won. I threw it away.
I think I have thought about that lipstick every day since. I searched Lancome and it's discontinued- long ago probably. My Matte Bordeaux lips were my signature back then; I don't have a signature look anymore.
The 80s were a time for the signature look - the Madonna girls, the new wave girls, the punks, the skinheads, the metal heads, the stoners, the preppies.  There were more I'm sure, but I can't remember from my 40 year old-haze.
It was kind of cool having the ability with clothes and makeup to define your politics, feelings or interests. Things nowadays in fashion seem very homogenized, but back then a pair of wine-red lips had the power to set you apart.

DIY OPI

It is such a nice feeling being with your tribe. So yesterday I took a trip to Sephora and walked amongst my people - Trish McEvoy, Benefit, Nars, Tocca, Lorac. I could go on... I know I'm a shameless namedropper.

Well, I picked up Benefit's new mascara, They're Real and my Lorac skin luminizer (see previous post about glowing skin) and then I decided in my new forced frugality mode, which is actually not bad once you get used to it, to buy the tools for a DIY french manicure. So, thinking of all the money I'll save doing my own fingernails I picked up Sephora's French Tips & Toes Manicure Pen, $8 and Sephora by OPI in Bare to be Different, $9.50.
I got used to the marker quite quickly and the polish is the perfect barest sheerest pink - I needed 3 coats.
I can't stop looking at my nails, and owning my own french tip marker means touch ups are a breeze. And I know my people can relate to that.

Brighten up

My final installment on glowing, beautiful skin is all about the finishing touch...Makeup. There are a lot of easy to use products out there that can fake a glow on your skin. The key word to look for is luminizing.
There are primers to apply under makeup or powders to finish the deal - all with little sparkly reflecting bits to create the illusion of glow.
Cleanse, exfoliate and moisturize and your skin will be ready for its closeup.
In summer I use Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 20, available at Sephora for $32. It has light diffusing pigments and a touch of color - with the spf it's a perfect summer time all-in-one.
One of my all time favorite companies - Benefit, has an iconic skin brightener called High Beam, $24 at Sephora and Ulta. It has a brush applicator and you dot little dots high along the cheekbones, inner eye and under the brow bone, and then blend it in with your fingers.
You can also achieve maximum glow with a powder. Perfectly Lit Oil-free Luminizing Powder by Lorac diffuses lines and brightens the complexion. Comes in two shades and is $32 at Sephora.  Apply all over for a soft glow.

Any one of these products is a must-have for your makeup bag and for the new glowy you.

Drink it in.

When I was 15 I got my first job at the mall. With my first paycheck I went to the Lancome counter and traded in my few bucks for a jar of Lancome moisturizer. I remember the beautiful European packaging and the heavy jar - heavy on the jar and light on the cream. My love of moisturizer was born and has not left me in the 25 years since.

I have tried a lot of creams from Vaseline to Chantecaille. The best creams absorb quickly and leave your skin feeling plump and soft. Again, I have no loyalty but I am in love at the moment with Philosophy's Miracle Worker $55 for 2 ounces at QVC.com or Sephora.com. It sinks into my skin leaving it so soft to the touch.

Really cheap creams tend to have a lot of chemicals in it and really expensive creams tend to be a waste of money. I like the middle ground where the ingredients are a bit better, but not exorbitant. I go more for ingredient quality when I buy a cream than any other factor.
Consumer Reports recently named Olay's Regenerist line available at drugstores as giving better results than a $300 cream. Try Regenerist Deep Hydration Regenerating Cream $25.99 at RiteAid. The goal is to have soft supple skin that looks younger and firmer. Ingredients like CoQ Enzyme are supposed to boost collagen production, Vitamin C helps with discoloration, Vitamin E helps combat free radicals. These are all good things to look for in a cream. Retinol is a form of Vitamin A that helps combat wrinkles and other signs of aging. A cream with these ingredients is going to cover the basics in your anti-aging regimen. If you use retinols, don't forget to use sunscreen (which you should use anyway) as skin is more prone to sun damage with Vitamin A use.

Stay away from greasy petrochemical products which can clog pores and are just gross.

Moisturizer is the key to beautifully hydrated skin. So drink up.