Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Luscious Lips: Clinique Full Potential Lips Plump and Shine Lip Gloss

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Ladies, this beauty chick has finally found it -- the gloss that will help your lips reach their full potential in no time flat. What is this mythical gloss of which I speak? Why, it's none other than Clinique Full Potential Lips Plump and Shine Lip Gloss!

Swooning for Stila's Acapulco Eye Shadow Trio

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Ah, limited-edition eyeshadow palettes from Stila. Does it get any better than waiting for the new ones to arrive on the shelves each season? This beauty chick thinks not. And if you're of the same mind, you'll absolutely love the new Acapulco Eye Shadow Trio.

Open up the round, lacquered bronze palette and find within some of the most gorgeous shades this side of the Pacific, designed in a unique sunburst pattern that almost -- hey, I said almost -- makes the colors too beautiful to touch! But if you can bear to dip a brush inside, you'll find three blendable hues that can each be used as base, crease and liner! There's golden white shimmer around the rim, olive green flecked with sparkles in the middle and a gorgeous rich chocolate in the very center.

Note: This product is no longer available.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Plump It Up: DuWop Mini Venom Trio

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"Plump" is not usually a word women like to hear. When we're all consistently dieting, working out, stressing about how many calories were in last night's martini, and worrying whether our new pants make us look fat, we're seriously all hoping and praying no one around us is even thinking the word "plump."

Top Note and Middle Note and Base Note, Oh My!: Sonia Kashuk Solid Perfume Palette in Citron & Pink Mandarin

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The quest for the signature scent continues. Yes, I have those few perfumes I wear on a daily basis. But let's face it ... what woman truly loves to wear the same scent day in, day out for her entire life? Maybe I'm just too fickle to be tied down like that.

In any case, the next great fragrance has just come into my life, and I'm oh so glad! And this one comes complete with a twist. What amazing product do I speak of? Why, none other than Sonia Kashuk Solid Perfume Palette in Citron & Pink Mandarin, of course!

Soap Star: Roger & Gallet Magnolia Perfumed Soaps

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I'm a sucker for fancy soaps. I don't know whether it's the ingenious packaging ... the delicate carving ... the beautiful aromas ... but whatever the case may be, I'm in love with them. And I've recently found my new soap soul mate in Roger & Gallet's Magnolia Perfumed Soaps.

From top to bottom, left to right, backwards and frontwards -- any which way! -- they're absolutely gorgeous. Let's start with the box itself, which is emblazoned with a sweeping floral motif and accented with gold leaf. Slide the top off and you'll find three round soaps inside (each 3 x 3.5 oz.), emitting such an amazing scent you'll feel as though you've died and gone to heaven. Each is packaged just so, in crinkled white paper with a signature Roger & Gallet sticker to keep them in tip-top shape for you. Once you peel back the paper, though, you have the coup d'etat -- beautiful round soaps hand-cut with the Roger & Gallet logo. This box set is definitely one of the greatest beauty gifts any woman could receive.

Hey, the company has been around since the late 1800s, so they must be doing something right!

Note: This product is no longer available.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Make Lemons out of Lemonade: C.O. Bigelow Lemon Cream Body Wash

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If you're like me, you can't resist trying a new shower gel every chance you get. At present count this beauty chick must have at least 6 different shower gels, bath creams and the like scattered around my tub! Luckily, C.O. Bigelow Lemon Cream Body Wash is one of my favorites!

It's super-moisturizing, and leaves your skin feeling so soft you'll swear you must have gotten a body-sloughing treatment. The addition of safflower oil hydrates your skin, while Vitamin C extracts brighten you right up. And the lemony scent is totally invigorating, which is perfect for a morning pick-me-up after a rough night out on the town. But even better than all of this is C.O. Bigelow's signature packaging, which makes the product look like you could pick it up in ye-olde apothecary.

You may have just stumbled onto your new favorite showertime treat.

C.O. Bigelow Lemon Cream Body Wash retails for $18 at bigelowchemists.com.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Sunny Days: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 55

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With summer approaching, it's all you can do not to protect your skin. But there are so many sunblocks out there, and so many various SPFs, which do you choose? This beauty chick totally agrees with the CEW Beauty Awards winner for this year -- Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 55.

The formula goes on smooth and not sticky, and blends into your skin so easily you'd swear it must be magic. The product is formulated with Helioplex technology, which means it provides lasting UVA/UVB sun protection. It even keeps working after a few hours frolicking around in the surf -- as evidenced by this fair-skinned beauty chick who stayed fair-skinned over four hours after laying on the sand and playing in the waves last summer!

If you want to protect your skin, this award-winner is definitely the best choice out there.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 55 retails for $8.55 at drugstore.com.

Package Deal: Ralph Lauren Romance Purse Spray Trio Set

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Anyone who knows this beauty chick knows her favorite scent of all time is Ralph Lauren Romance. And with good reason -- its aroma is truly timeless. Maybe my affinity for Ralph Lauren clothing has something to do with it -- after all, the brands in the Polo family take up a considerable amount of space in my closet. But it's more than that! No matter which fragrance I try, I always find myself coming back to the one, the only, Ralph Lauren Romance.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Beauty Mecca? Yes Please. Introducing Clyde's On Madison

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I've died and gone to heaven. Or at least that's how it felt last week when I ventured into Clyde's on Madison, a venerable beauty mecca filled with gorgeous product after gorgeous product! The brightly lit store is cluttered -- though not unpleasing to the eye -- with rows and rows, shelves and shelves, walls and walls, and glass cases galore full of one amazing item after another.

Guerlain? Sure. Phyto? Why not. Malin + Goetz? You betcha. I literally did not know which way to turn, as I was encountered with everything from Diptyque candles and Decleor facial cleansers to Frederic Fekkai shampoos and Molton Brown shower gels. There's even a pharmacy in the back, so you can get prescriptions filled while spritzing yourself with Christian Dior perfumes! And as if that's not enough, even the shopping bags are amazing -- the royal blue paper emblazoned with Clyde's crest just screams utter sophistication and grace. And the best part? They have an online store, too! So if you're not lucky enough to be in the NYC area, you can still get your fill.

But if you do find yourself at 74th and Madison ... well, look out, because I might have already beaten you to all the good stuff inside!

Monday, May 7, 2007

Thanks, Mom! Great Mother's Day Gifts, Volume 10: YSL Baby Doll Collection

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Baby love
My baby love
I need you -- oh how I need you!

Do you think Yves Saint Laurent had that song in mind when creating their signature Baby Doll fragrance? Who knows ... but whatever made the famed clothier create such a sweet-smelling perfume, let's thank our lucky stars for finally finding the perfect present for Mom! And this year, you can give her the fragrance four times over with the YSL Baby Doll Collection.

The Spray Tan at Rita Hazan: Color Me Impressed!

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Ghostly. Stark white. White as paper. Color it any way you want, because that's the hue of yours truly! Well, unless I sit in the sun, in which case I turn lobster-red before even 15 minutes have passed. And with all the horrible facts out there about tanning and skin cancer, why would I do that to myself in the first place? But now I've discovered the way to look as golden brown as the next girl -- and her name is Anna Stankiewicz. That's right, this beauty chick found true heaven recently when I visited Anna at New York's Rita Hazan Salon for a little thing I like to call ... spray tanning heaven.

She's sprayed everyone from Jessica Simpson to Jennifer Esposito, and now I can count myself among her loyal followers. If you're looking for natural-looking, sun-kissed, absolutely gorgeous skin, you must book an appointment with Anna immediately.

Now having someone stand in front of your (practically) naked body with a spray tanning gun isn't the most easy thing in the world. But Anna immediately puts you right at ease with her absolutely flawless and winning personality. This girl is seriously so easy to talk to, you'll forget you're standing in front of her with no clothes on! And precise doesn't even begin to cover how wonderful a job she does. She's so thorough, making sure you're covered from head to toe in just the right shade of brown (this pale beauty chick went with medium tan) -- and the formula is 70 percent organic, which I found interesting. She even goes so far as to put you in a variety of yoga-and-dance-like poses to ensure your hard-to-reach spots (like the crook of your elbow and back of your knees) are sprayed evenly. Then as she turns on some small fans to dry you off, she'll go over you with makeup sponges to even out the damp spots, lotion up your nails to make sure they don't turn orange and finish off with a dusting of baby powder to lock in the color.

Now, services like this don't come cheap -- appointments will run you $85 for full body and an extra $10 for contouring -- but trust me when I say it's worth it! I seriously felt like I visited St. Barth's over the weekend and came back with the best tan ever. And if you only want that gorgeous glow on part of your body, that's possible too ($40 for half body, $40 for just legs, $20 for face and decolletage, and $10 for face only). Anna, I'm a client for life! Become one yourself by calling the Rita Hazan Salon at 212-734-4757. You'll be a convert in minutes!

Friday, May 4, 2007

Thanks, Mom! Great Mother's Day Gifts, Volume 9: Jo Malone Gift Sets

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Every so often I come across a beauty line so utterly fabulous ... so wonderfully unique ... so unbelievably luxurious ... it's impossible to get enough. Such is the case with Jo Malone. No matter what products this beauty chick encounters, Jo always seems to take care of her. So this Mother's Day, why not take care of the special woman in your life with one of the many Jo Malone gift sets?

Thanks, Mom! Great Mother's Day Gifts, Volume 8: Molton Brown New Age Traveller 10 Kit

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For the ultimate in luxury, it's difficult -- not to mention downright crazy! -- to look any further than Molton Brown. So why not give your mom the ultimate indulgence this Mother's Day with the New Age Traveller 10?

Scent of a Woman: Jean Paul Gaultier CLASSIQUE

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Sensuous. Sexy. Seductive. God, those S words are great. And when you're describing the house of Jean Paul Gaultier, each of them most certainly comes to mind. He's the man who brought us Madonna's cone bra, after all! So just imagine what he can do with perfume. If sweet and innocent just aren't your style, you've definitely come to the right place!

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Thanks, Mom! -- Great Mother's Day Gifts, Volume 6: Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile Gift Set

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Flowers seem to be the old standby Mother's Day gift. But if you're as sick of buying them for Mom as this beauty chick is, never fear! You can still pander to every woman's love of flowers but take it to the next level with the Acqua Di Parma Iris Nobile gift set!

The Italian perfumer's heady floral -- infused with notes of star anise, ylang ylang, oakmoss, vanilla and amber crystals -- is totally and completely indulgent, so intoxicatingly fragrant you'll find yourself drawing in deep breath after deep breath of it! So what do you get in this gift set I find so amazing, might you ask? Well, of course you'll find the Eau de Parfum -- which should last Mom quite a long time, since only a small spritz will do the trick for hours!

Add to that a glass jar of the Luminous Body Cream -- created with touches of mother-of-pearl for a totally iridescent, incandescent glow -- and your mom will be in heaven. But that's not all! What Mother's Day gift would be complete without beautiful packaging? And so that's why this set comes in a handmade lilac-hued keepsake hatbox, elegantly finished with a matching satin lilac ribbon!

After catching a glimpse, you might just have to keep this one for yourself. See if you can part with it for that special woman in your life!

The Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile gift set retails for $120 at barneys.com.