29 - Lydia Mondavi's Lip Products

Flying largely under the radar, Lydia Mondavi's 29 cosmetics line, is inspired by the beauty of California's Napa Valley and fueled by grape seed extract.

One day, Lydia's husband, winemaker Rob Mondavi, Jr., was harvesting honey (bee-keeping is his passion) and placed a tad on Lydia's lips. She said the honey felt so good and healing, she knew she had to make a lip balm. As a beauty industry veteran, Lydia felt that cosmetics with ingredients that are good for us were lacking at the time. "Lipsticks dry out our skin, and mascara causes our lashes to become dry and brittle, simply because there's too much alcohol and too many chemicals in them," she told Entree magazine. With a ready supply of grapes right outside her door, Lydia set out to create 29 products with grape seed extract, a proven antioxident-rich ingredient.

The 29 collection features a full array of cosmetics and skin care ingredients. Here's the lip lineup.

The Grape Seed Age Protecting Lip Collection includes Hint of Honey Lip Treatment ($24), Preserves Wine Blot Lip Treatment SPF20 ($24), Reserves Moisturizing Lipstick SPF20 ($25), Preserves Fresh Crush Lip Scrub ($24) - a gentle exfoliating lip treatment - Dew Lip Gloss Collection SPF15 ($24), and Line Maker Lip Pencil ($23).

Although they are a little pricey, I think I'm going to have to spring for the Hint of Honey Lip Treatment and maybe even the Wine Blot Lip Treatment. Both sound yummy!

All of the products contain grape seed extract and other good-for-you ingredients such as honey, beeswax, and apricot. Interested in antioxident-rich, paraben-free cosmetics? You can read more about 29 cosmetics and skin care at the 29 Web site. The collection is also available at Neiman Marcus.com and some Neiman Marcus stores.

Photos courtesy of 29

Rouge d'Armani Giveaway Contest Winner

We have a winner! Jules is the lucky lady who will receive the Rouge d'Armani red lipstick. Jules has been notified by e-mail. Congratulations, Jules!

We had so many entries, I know there are a lot of disappointed readers out there. The good news for all of you is that the generous Armani Beauty Team at Saks Fifth Avenue in Chevy Chase, Maryland has donated an assortment of Armani lipsticks for a few more giveaway contests. So, tomorrow, we will start another contest. Aren't they the best?

You can read all about Rouge d'Armani, a creamy, long-lasting lipstick, at this Best Things in Beauty link. Saks has extended Friends & Family online only through Tuesday, October 20 at midnight. If you want to purchase one, use code FRIENDS2 at checkout for a 10% discount.

Photo courtesy of Armani Beauty

Sephora Friends & Family Sale

Sephora's Friends & Family sale started today and runs through November 2. Just use code FF2009 to get a 20% discount applied to your order. The discount is good for nearly everything.

This morning must have been gangbusters at the site. I got a "site busy" message early, but was able to place an order later. The offer is good online at Sephora.com. As far as I know, this sale is only active online.

Happy shopping!

Logo courtesy of Sephora.com

Distracting Plastic Surgery

I was home today, on a rare vacation Monday, and happened by the television, which I had forgotten to turn off after the news. There was Suzanne Somers, promoting her new book, Knockout, Interviews with Doctors Who Are Curing Cancer.

I had one of those OMG moments. She looked bloated. Her once pretty face was puffy, and her lips were beyond "inflated." Wanting validation of my suspicions, I found these photos and an article, published a few months ago, about her multiple surgeries at BumpShack.com.

Suzanne was discussing her book Knockout and urging viewers to stay healthy by making healthy lifestyle decisions. She was also promoting alternative cancer treatments, and that's where it can get scary. I won't comment on the scientific basis for her opinions - that's best left to physicians. But it's hard to take her seriously when she looks like a train wreck.

I felt so sorry for her (she is a cancer survivor, after all). Surely she owns a mirror? Plastic surgery and other cosmetic treatments can be fabulous - when done well. They can restore a woman's self-esteem and confidence and kick-start a career. When done poorly, they can have the opposite effects. I couldn't even listen to her message because her face was so distracting.

If you do consider surgical treatment or injections, do your homework! There are plenty of ways to find the best doctors.

Photos courtesy of BumpShack

New Dior Sérum de Rouge Lip Treatment

Dior's new Sérum de Rouge Lip Treatment ($32) is lip luxury defined.

Containing 10 times more active skin care ingredients than most lipsticks, Dior's Sérum de Rouge has an incredibly creamy, rich balm-like texture that moisturizes, smoothes, and pampers your lips. Enriched with mango butter and other natural ingredients, this treatment is said to boost the lips' microcirculation and collagen levels while enhancing their appearance with luminous color.

The Sérum de Rouge Lip Treatment is available in eight mouth-watering shades. I'll have to admit that I couldn't resist five of them, and I suspect I'll buy the others when the next windfall arrives. The luscious, sheer colors are:

• Soft Pink,
  
• Beige,
• Coral,
• Crimson,
• Mocha,
• Nude,
  
• Rosewood, and
• Raspberry.

Dior already had a fabulous suite of lipsticks and lip glosses. Now, with the addition of this balm-lipstick hybrid, the suite got even better! These get a BTiB five-star award. I love the sheer colors, texture, and slim case (you could apply Sérum de Rouge in the dark).

You can find the Sérum de Rouge Lip Treatment at Saks, Bloomindales, and Nordstrom (for sure) in store - and probably at all department stores carrying Dior. You can also see and order the Sérum de Rouge at Saks.com.

Photo courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue

Best Drugstore Beauty: Vichy Aqualia Thermal Mineral Balm

Vichy's new Aqualia Thermal Mineral Balm Rehydrating and Repairing Care ($32) is a powerful moisturizer. Packed with the healing signature Vichy Thermal Spa Water and minerals, this protective formula is paraben-, fragrance-, and colorant-free. This product is prefect for women (and men) with dry and/or dehydrated skin. I'm finding it an ideal "antidote" for our leap into dry fall weather.

You may have read about new Vichy introductions in an earlier Best Things in Beauty posting. The balm contains Omega 6 oils that are said to reach into tiny skin fissures and envelope the skin in a fine protective layer. The 15 trace elements and minerals in its ingredients include calcium and magnesium (protective), potassium (hydrating), silicium (regenerating), and iron (soothing).

I am using the Aqualia Thermal Mineral Balm as a night moisturizer. It's creamy and rich. Trust me, a little goes a long way! I adore the pump container, which makes it so convenient to use, and I love the fact that it's fragrance-free. I can feel the protective barrier on my face when I awaken in the morning, so I know the balm is doing its work to keep my own moisture in and protect my skin from the drying air.

Vichy says the mineral balm can also be used as a mask to soothe very dehydrated skin. If you choose to use it as a mask, apply a generous layer on skin, leave it on for 10-15 minutes, then tissue off the excess. You certainly wouldn't want to tissue it all off - it's a fabulous moisturizer.

You can purchase the Aqualia Thermal Mineral Balm at the Vichy-USA Web site, where Vichy Skin Care Passport Members get free shipping with purchases over $50, free shipping with the purchase of certain products, and with the code TOTEBAG can get a turquoise tote with a purchase of $65.

You can also find Vichy products at the CVS Healthy Skincare stores (larger CVS stores), where you won't have to worry about shipping costs and you can get instant gratification. If you can find your way to the Ballston Mall in Arlington, Virginia, ask for Kathy Shoreman, the CVS Beauty Manager. She will give you samples of Vichy products to try at home.

This product deserves its Best Drugstore Beauty label.

Photo courtesy of Vichy USA

Leslie Blodgett's Bare Skin Perfume Diaries Giveaway Contest

CONTEST ENDED - WE HAVE FIVE WINNERS!

Congratulations to Vickie, Tina, Nina, Anna, and Teri. All of them have been e-mailed that they will receive one of the samples. These gals are "fast on their fingers."

Want a sample of the new Bare Skin fragrance? You read last week at Best Things in Beauty about Leslie Blodgett's Bare Skin, the first introduction of her new Perfume Diaries. If you missed the blog post, you can read all about Leslie and Bare Skin at the BTiB link above.

Her company generously provided five samples for Best Things in Beauty readers. Five of you will get to try before you buy! These are traditional, small-vial samples - samples I really appreciate before I purchase a new perfume.

I thought about how to do this contest and decided on the Allure way. The first five US or Canadian readers to e-mail bestthingsinbeautycontests@gmail.com after 7:30 pm Eastern Time today, Sunday, October 18, will receive a sample in the mail. Please put Leslie Blodgett in your subject line and include your mailing address. I will notify the five winners by e-mail, and I will update this posting as soon as the five samples have been claimed.

Good Luck!

Don't forget to enter Leslie's contest (between October 16 and 23) to win a trip to Hawaii. Just go to her Perfume Diaries Facebook page for more information.

Photo courtesy of Sephora