Daily Beauty

Treat Yourself to a Little Everyday Luxury With the Tocca Love Yourself Luxury Spa Set

February 12th, 2014 by Karen 11 Comments

No shower for me today (and possibly tomorrow) because of the sutures on my boo-boo arm. This makes me sad. 🙁

You don’t understand — it’s like Anakin Skywalker with the Force. The drive to clean is strong in this one…

Doesn’t matter how tired I am at the end of the day. I will always (well, 98% of the time) find the energy to take a shower. I just can’t sleep with sticky skin.

So imagine my shock yesterday when the surgeon told me that I shouldn’t shower for a while. He said that I should give the sutures a couple days to heal before getting them wet.

My first thought was, “No. Huh-uh. Not gonna happen,” which was quickly followed by a more reasonable, “Well, if I’m stuck taking sponge baths for a while, you better believe those sponge baths are going to be epic.”

I gotta get my beauty thrills wherever I can, and today I’m getting mine with Tocca’s $78 Love Yourself Luxury Spa Set.

The luxurious three-piece set will get you squeaky clean, and when you’re done, you’ll float out of your bathroom like an elven angel smelling lightly of gardenias… 🙂

This morning I lit the mini Florence candle that comes with the set and used my imagination to pretend I was at a spa. One sponge bath with the Bubble Bath and a few spritzes of Eau de Parfum later, and my day was off to a great start.

If you need to treat yourself to a little luxury, you can find the $78 (a $110 value) Love Yourself Luxury Spa Set now exclusively at Sephora stores and sephora.com.

The set includes…

1.7 oz Eau de Parfum
2 oz Mini Candelina
6.8 oz Bubble Bath

Tocca Luxury Spa Set, Bubble Bath — The Bubble Bath has notes of Bergamot and Gardenia

Tocca Luxury Spa Set, Florence Perfume Bottle — Florence’s fragrance notes: Gardenia, bergamot, violet, iris and blonde wood

Tocca Luxury Spa Set Box — I love the thought of this set being an everyday escape…

For $7.50, This NYX Sex Bomb Shadow Palette Is Dynamite!

February 11th, 2014 by Karen 17 Comments

I get a big kick out of this palette. 🙂

It’s that name, Sex Bomb. I dunno…it just makes me laugh! I mean, I get that they were trying to channel inner seductiveness and sultriness, but of course I’m going to picture weird bombs of sexiness raining from the sky (of course).

Pouty lips, BOOM! Bedroom eyes, BAM!

Or I think of a bad roll in the hay, LOL! And then consequently sneaking out the door at an ungodly hour for that early morning walk of shame with smeared eye makeup and kitten breath.

Aw, what a disappointing sex bomb!

Oh, and then there’s the awkwardness of trying to explain the name to my mom…

Mom: “WHAT IS THIS SEX BOMB?”

Me: “Uh…well?”

Forgetting the name for a second, though, I think the colors are also cool. Very interesting, like that red on the far left. It looks rather frightening, doesn’t it? Well, it’s really not that scary at all. If you pop it on your lids very close to the lash line and do a black cat liner, I think it looks super cool.

And that black shadow on the far right does WERK! I like it smoked out along the lash lines with the taupe in the lid and the beige on the brow bone.

How very Angelina Jolie. Just add nude lips.

Anywho! It’s available now for $7.50 at NYX counters, Ulta and nyxcosmetics.com.

BOOM!

NYX Sex Bomb Shadow Palette Swatches — Sex Bomb Shadow Palette swatches on my NC42 skin

New Skincare From Chanel: Hydra Beauty Creme Riche and Hydra Beauty Nourishing Lip Care

February 10th, 2014 by Karen 13 Comments

Chanel Hydra Beauty Creme Riche and Nourishing Lip Care

If my cheeks could talk, they would’ve said, “Ahh…” in ecstasy the first time I tried Chanel’s Hydra Beauty Creme Riche moisturizer.

Then my wallet, assuming it also had the ability to talk, would have added, “Girl, you so crazy!” because it would have just shelled out big bucks on skincare from Chanel.

Unfortunately, Chanel doesn’t do drugstore, but I must say, I think their skincare is really good (I used both Lait Confort Creamy Cleansing Milk and Sublimage Eye Cream down to the last drop). If I were an RHOBH (that’s Bravo shorthand for a “Real Housewife of Beverly Hills”), I’d be rockin’ this stuff 24/7.

Just released this month, along with a new hydrating lip balm, new Hydra Beauty Creme Riche moisturizer is powered by something Chanel calls, “Camelia Alba PFA.”

“Specifically developed to deliver intense moisture, this sumptuously textured cream wraps skin in softness. The deeply hydrating formula features the moisturizing powers of Camellia Alba PFA*, the anti-oxidant properties of Blue Ginger PFA and the nutritive benefits of precious Camellia oil. Combined, these key ingredients help strengthen skin while restoring its natural suppleness, radiance and beauty.

“*PFA: Polyfractioned Active. An ultra-pure, ultra-powerful ingredient created through exclusive patented Chanel technology.”

— Chanel.com

The moisturizer, I love. It’s very thick and dense — a lot like a balm — but it absorbs quickly into my skin without leaving behind a greasy film. I use it on the dry patches on my cheeks and around my nose, and my skin soaks it right up.

It’s extremely hydrating and hasn’t triggered any breakouts yet (knock on wood).

I should also point out that it has a super strong scent — green apples and lilies — which I like, most of the time, except when I have a migraine (and then it’s just too much).

As for the lip balm, ya know, it’s a’ight. It has the same green apple flavor and scent (nice, but again, strong), but in terms of moisture, I feel like I get more from my good ol’ Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector, which is $23 (versus $50) and comes in a more convenient tube.

Sure, the balm is probably overpriced, but that really depends on your outlook on Chanel. If you’re a fiend for the brand and just looking for light lip hydration, you’ll get that here.

A 1.7-ounce jar of Chanel Hydra Beauty Creme Riche goes for $87, while the Hydra Beauty Nourishing Lip Care costs $50 for a 0.35-ounce jar. Both are available now at Chanel counters and chanel.com.

Chanel Hydra Beauty Nourishing Lip Care on the left and Creme Riche on the right — Nourishing Lip Care on the left and Creme Riche on the right

Chanel Hydra Beauty Creme Riche ingredients

Chanel Hydra Beauty Nourishing Lip Care ingredients

Friends Let Friends Wear the New L’Oreal Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lip Colors

February 7th, 2014 by Karen 22 Comments

L'Oreal Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lip Color Swatches in Scarlet Concerto and Blushing Harmony

The power of visualization…

Picture it — we’re at Ulta together standing in the L’Oreal area. We see a display for the new Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lip Colors, and we see that they’re only $10 each and come in 16 shades, which are more like glosses than anything else.

We start doing our makeup tag-team thing, persuading each other with things like, “Yeah, you should TOTALLY get that one,” and “Duuuuude, they’re just like MAC Cremesheen Glasses,” and “Oh-em-gee, only $10? What a steal!” And then we start dropping tubes in our baskets like lipgloss fiends on a bender, mwhahahaha!

But then, at the exact same moment, we both notice Blushing Harmony, a rosy pink that has “everyday purse gloss” written all over it, but — ruh-roh — there’s only one tube left.

I’d let you have it, of course. 🙂 Even though I’d be seriously tempted to keep it for myself. It’s a perfect my-lips-but-better shade.

L'oreal Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lip Color in Scarlet Concerto — L’Oreal Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lip Color in Scarlet Concerto

L'oreal Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lip Color in Blushing Harmony — L’Oreal Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lip Color in Blushing Harmony

L'Oreal Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lip Color Swatches in Blushing Harmony and Scarlet Concerto — Blushing Harmony (left) and Scarlet Concerto (right)

New From Dolce & Gabbana: Shaping Eyebrow Pencil

February 6th, 2014 by Karen 9 Comments

In the event that you’ve been brow-zing (sorry, couldn’t resist) for a fancy new brow pencil, here’s a new one from Dolce & Gabbana, and guess what?

Yeah, it’s pretty darned good!

It’s also pretty darned pricey at $45, but coming from Dolce & Gabbana, that’s not a big surprise.

D&G’s new Shaping Eyebrow Pencil is a lot like my latest brow pencil love, Arch by Hourglass. Like Arch, its tip has a triangular shape, so you can draw either thick or thin lines with it (thick lines with one of the edges and thin lines with the nib). It also has a similar natural-looking powder finish.

Where it differs is in terms of texture. Dolce & Gabbana’s is just a smidgen softer than Arch, and I think it’s also a tad easier to blend.

The smudge- and water-resistant formula is supposed to last up to 12 hours, even wet, but I haven’t had an opportunity to really test that out (I’ll see how it responds to a sweaty run on the treadmill tomorrow).

I have worn it sans serious perspiration a couple of times, however, and both times it lasted from dusk till dawn with hardly any fading.

Shaping Brow Pencil comes in Soft Brown, Stromboli, Chestnut and Mocha (the ones shown here are light brown Chestnut and dark brown Stromboli). All four shades are available now exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue stores and online at saksfifthavenue.com.

New From Dolce & Gabbana: Perfection Veil Pressed Powder

February 6th, 2014 by Karen 14 Comments

Dolce & Gabbana Perfection Veil Pressed Powder

One thing I think Dolce & Gabbana does extremely well is pressed powder (have you tried their blush? AH-MAZE-BALLS!), so I’m very excited about introducing my mug to their new face powder.

Perfection Veil Pressed Powder ($60) is all about natural, trasnlucent radiance. It’s supposed to seamlessly blend into the skin and remain there inconspicuously, even after several touchups.

As a woman perpetually on the prowl for face makeup that looks as close to real skin as possible, I’m keeping my fingers crossed. 🙂

The six-piece Perfection Veil Pressed Powder range of permanent products includes translucent rose ivory Nude Ivory 1, translucent pale tan Natural Glow 2, translucent rosy beige Soft Blush, translucent light tan Caramel 4, translucent golden beige Soft Sand 5 and translucent deep tan Biscuit 6.

The ones seducing your eyeballs here now are Nude Ivory 1, Caramel 4 and Biscuit 6.

They’re available now at Dolce & Gabbana counters and online at saksfifthavenue.com.

What’s That Eye See? New Sunglasses By Bobbi Brown

February 3rd, 2014 by Karen 10 Comments

Look what I spotted at the mall last week, new sunglasses by Bobbi Brown.

Seems kind of random, but Bobbi is sometimes pictured wearing a pair o’ black specs, so I guess it makes sense.

Some of them are pretty darned cute. Lots of chunky, hip frames that should go with just about everything. Prices are from $139-179, so they’re not inexpensive.

What do you think? I’d totally rock the Stella.

Wavy Hair Don’t Care! (And a Couple of New Hair Products From L’Oreal)

January 31st, 2014 by Karen 17 Comments

After trying a couple of new products from L’Oreal and letting ye olde mop (also known as my naturally wavy hair) air dry, this was the result…

First thing I tried was the new L’Oreal Color Vibrancy Instant Shock Treatment ($7). L’Oreal calls it a “lightweight melting mask,” and it’s designed to add shine and moisture to color-treated hair.

It’s pretty neat.

It’s a conditioner, so you use it after shampoo. Here’s the kicker: when you work it through your hair, it doesn’t feel like it’s coating the strands, but instead like it’s melting right into them. Can’t say I’ve ever tried anything quite like it before… Really cool.

After I got out of the shower and towel dried my hair, I applied about four pumps of the new L’Oreal Curve It Curl Taming Creme ($5) to it. It added soft definition to my waves without leaving them crunchy or weighed down. I like how my hair looks with this stuff — slightly wild, but not too wild, LOL! Thumbs up.

Wavy hair don’t care! 🙂

Both products are available now at drugstores, Ulta and ulta.com.