The Fairest Launched Yesterday

Remember The Fairest post on Best Things in Beauty? The Fairest Web site, dedicated to "private sale" beauty products, launched yesterday, and I'm already impressed with the available sales. If you didn't join when I posted the first announcement, now's the time if you want to save money!

I am not asking you to accept an invite from Best Things in Beauty, which would send dollars my way. Just click on this link and go sign up on your own. This is about saving you money.

So far (in the last day), the sales have been for Stila, Coola Suncare - both still available - and today Jurlique. Great discounts! Some of today's Jurlique items have already sold out, so hurry.

If you invite a friend, and the friend makes a purchase, your account will be credited with $10. That's pretty standard for these membership sites. There is also brand information and a blog on the site - fun! Upcoming sales include Korres, Cosmedicine, and Tarte. How cool is that?

Photo courtesy of The Fairest.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Compacts

Is there anything for more cool than Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Brick Compacts ($38)? They have certainly inspired a host of copycat products. I have purchased multiples of some of them - you really do need to hoard products you love that may be discontinued (as long as they won't spoil). Although there are some perennial best-selling Shimmer Bricks that aren't endangered, some have disappeared. This Summer's Shimmer Brick for Body ($75) has been cleaned out of many department stores, although it's still available on the Bobbi Brown Web site. Another case in point: Platinum Pink and Pink Quartz, two limited editions, are history.

Looking for any Bobbi Brown product that has been discontinued? Call the Gone But Not Forgotten Representative at 1-800-216-7173 or visit Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) online for more details. Sometimes, discontinued items show up on BeautyTicket, at the Estee Lauder-owned outlet stores, or even eBay (write the eBay seller and get a guarantee it's unused before you bid). So, anyone looking for a long-gone product can still score.

Shimmer Bricks aren't new. By now, my regular readers know (and appreciate, from your e-mails) the fact that I write about wonderful products, regardless of year of introduction. There may actually be a makeup lover alive who doesn't know about Shimmer Bricks.

I think I have purchased every currently existing color except Apricot, which is just too orange for my pale, cool skin. However, I do have the brown colors, such as Bronze and Beige, and they are just the thing for a nude or bronzy look. Naturally, the Pink and Rose colors are perfect for me, as is the limited Platinum Pink.

The depth of color you get from running a brush over these is fabulous. The Shimmer Bricks are a highlighter and blusher in one compact. I seldom pick and choose from the strips of color, which, of course, you can do for eyes or even cheeks. I just run the Blender Brush from top to bottom, or swirl it in a circular motion and apply. I love the slightly shimmering effect.

If you haven't been on Bobbi Brown's revamped Web site, check it out. In addition to better product features, there are lots of articles and a couple of how-to videos. I was lucky to be able to meet Bobbi Brown many years ago when she had just started her company. She looked me over and provided some advice before one of the artists showed me how to use her products. I was so impressed with her ability to quickly size up my "issues" and provide recommendations I follow to this day. She continues to do in-store appearances, so if you get the opportunity, sign up for a session with Bobbi in a store near you.

You can purchase Shimmer Bricks on Bobbi Brown's Web site, Saks, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and all department stores where Bobbi Brown products are sold.

Next Bobbi Brown review at Best Things in Beauty? The new Cleansing Oil.

Photo courtesy of Bobbi Brown.

Armani Fluid Sheer Giveway Winner

Random.org (a random number generator) has selected our Armani Beauty Fluid Sheer Giveaway Winner, Sherry. Sherry's favorite posting was about AmLactin, and she has been "raving about it for years." Congratulations, Sherry!

As always, I loved your e-mails and wish I could send each of you a Fluid Sheer. I appreciate your kindness. Please keep entering...we have lots of giveaways to come. Our next Armani Giveaway Contest will be for an Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Foundation. It will start soon, so stay tuned. Later this month, the pièce de résistance giveaway will be for Crema Nera.

Again, I must thank the generous Armani Beauty Team at Saks Fifth Avenue in Chevy Chase, Maryland for these fabulous Armani giveaways. They're the best! Remember, if you live anywhere near Washington, DC, Tim Quinn will be visiting later this month, and there are still a few appointments left to be claimed. Not only that, the Saks Armani Beauty Team leader, Loyd Cassler, was written up in this month's Washingtonian magazine for being one of our area's best makeup artists. Pretty cool, huh?

Photo courtesy of Armani Beauty.

Lancome - Fall Collection - Liberty Eye Shadow Palette

I finally broke down and bought a Lancome eye shadow palette I have been eying. I got it during last week's online sample special, which was quite a bonanza - lip colors were my sample choices.

The Color Design Liberty Palette ($42) in Golden Audacity is a limited edition Sensational Effects Eye Shadow Quad Smooth Hold palette of finishes: from shimmer to sheen, metallic to matte. Lancome's "micro-aired powder technology" really does offer supreme smoothness and blendability, and these are very wearable new shades.

I wore the shadows today, and I was quite pleased with the quad. The three neutral tones produce a golden look, and the slightly metallic dark charcoal color is a great liner. It may be my lighting - or eyes - but the dark color seems to me to have just a hint of blue in it, which would be consistent with Lancome's Fall '09 Declaring Indigo theme. The shadows were used in the Indigo Crush look.

After I applied the shadows with a shadow brush, I used a MAC #227 brush for blending. I wanted to blur any distinctions between the colors I had mixed. Here I am, almost 12 hours later, and the shadows still look great! Naturally, I used a primer. It's part of my everyday routine.

You can purchase this eye shadow palette at Lancome's Web site or at any department store that carries Lancome. There are two other palettes in the collection, Indigo Charm (lots of blue and gold and rather dramatic) and Nude Elegance, which has some nice neutral shades as the name suggests.

Right now, there's a Lancome freebie with a $35 purchase that includes a nice compact with a blusher and eye shadows. Just enter SMOKYROSES at checkout.

Photo courtesy of Lancome.

L'Artisan 2007 Limited Edition Fleur d'Oranger

A few weeks ago, I said I would review L'Artisan's Fleur d'Oranger ($295), a limited edition Eau de Parfum. I had bought the original 2005 Fleur d'Oranger, which sold out. I am still wearing it because the bottle is generous in size (I suspect I am actually hoarding it). As soon as the 2007 edition was introduced, I purchased it. Now, I need to buy another 2007 before it becomes "extinct."

I thought about how I would describe this wonderful fragrance and decided that I couldn't match Lusciouscargo, so here's an edited quote.

"Fleur d'Oranger was the first fragrance in L'Artisan's brilliant new series of outstanding perfumes that share one simple trait: each is dependent on the vagaries of climate, cultivation, and harvesting - in essence these scents celebrate an exceptional vintage year of a particular natural raw material. The stellar crop was reserved exclusively for L’Artisan Parfumeur - quite an innovative and clever concept - and judging by the overwhelmingly enthusiastic reception this perfume has enjoyed, it's safe to say L'Artisan's novel and ambitious new series will most certainly endure.

By definition, each entry will be a (very) limited edition; since the shrewd folks at L'Artisan have purchased the entire crop, once it's exhausted it cannot be recreated or duplicated. Each perfume is presented in the stunning L'Artisan fashion we've all come to adore, and each bottle is numbered.

And the first exclusive raw material in the series? Tunisian orange blossom - the '04 harvest - which was a very good year indeed. Harvested and processed in the Tunisian fields, each and every one of these orange blossoms was reserved for L'Artisan. How incredibly cool!

Now, to our infinite delight, they have brought it to us again - new crop, same sublime artistry. Doubtless, the fact that the original Fleur d'Oranger sold out nationally in about 45 minutes had something to do with their decision to brighten our lives once again with an orange blossom fragrance that is, to put it mildly, without peer.

For the first creation of this new collection of “Grand Cru,” L’Artisan Parfumeur’s hallmark 100 ml bottle is adorned with a slew of elegant details: the facets are engraved with orange blossoms, the bottle is numbered and signed (2990 copies). It is topped with a copper cap reminiscent of one you might find in a still, and nestled in custom-printed silk paper. The presentation: a coolly elegant wooden box fastened with a sliver of grosgrain ribbon and L'Artisan signature brass coin. And finally, the bottle is engraved on all four sides - a la the Grandes Reserves."

The single-note fragrance is all about orange blossom, and it's blended with petit grain and beeswax. People at work stop me and ask what I'm wearing. I can't smell it, but obviously, it lasts. I feel transported to a grove of orange trees in bloom when I spray it - sublime!

There is a difference between the 2005 and 2007 editions, but I won't tempt you with something you can't get. Other limited editions have been Iris Padilla and Fleur de Narcisse. I purchased the Fleur de Narcisse, but gifted it to a very good friend because there was a hint of tobacco in it. My nose couldn't get past the masculinity of that note, despite the very floral nature of the rest of the blend.

Fleur d'Oranger is available at Lusciouscargo, LuckyScent, and L'Artisan. Art with Flowers at Tysons Galleria also has it, but shhh, don't tell anyone before I get my next bottle. I'm saving up.

Photo courtesy of Lusciouscargo.

Beauty.com Has a Great Gift with Purchase

Beauty.com has a great gift with purchase. As a rule, their gift bags are fabulous, and this one appears to be the norm: fabulous. You will receive the bag of samples with any $100 purchase while supplies last or until September 15. If you have wanted to try the Nick Chavez Beverly Hills hair products, now's the time.

The samples include Nick Chavez's Plump 'N Thick, reviewed here a few days ago, a nice-sized LORAC TANtalizer, a DIANA B. sample (I will be reviewing DIANA B. soon), and much more. Check it out at Beauty.com.

Photo courtesy of Beauty.com.

Jo Malone Bath Oils

Who doesn't love Jo Malone? I remember my excitement and anticipation when I learned that her products were coming to the United States. I remember my first whiffs at Neiman Marcus. Red Roses in particular transported me to an English garden. The "high" lasted for years because every time I wore Red Roses Cologne, someone would ask me, "What is that beautiful fragrance you are wearing?" Men and women alike - it was amazing.

By now, all beauty lovers surely know who Jo Malone is, so I won't recount her incredible history in any detail. She started her career as a facialist using her own products, hand-mixed at home, which were an instant hit. Her global brand was purchased by the Estee Lauder companies in 1999, but Jo remains the creative director of the brand. She was the first to make fragrance mixing mainstream.

I do want to write about my favorite Jo colognes (and candles and skin care), but today, let's talk about the bath oils. I'm one of those people for whom a long bath is a luxurious treat. My baths have to be fragranced with something, and about half the time it's a Jo Malone Bath Oil ($60-100). You can use the bath oil as an oil poured into your bath water or as a moisturizer after you step out. I prefer to pour a small amount in my bath, creating an atmosphere that's both relaxing and good for my skin.

My personal favorites? The fruits and florals. You can see the categories on Jo Malone's Web site, a fun visit. Of course, there's Red Roses Bath Oil, which, true to its name, makes your bath smell like you have been surrounded by hundreds of red roses. Grapefruit, surely one of the most popular scents, is the perfect citrus. Tuberose, which doesn't seem to be available in bath oil anymore, is a heavy white floral - heavenly. Honeysuckle & Jasmine? A country garden brimming with bloom. Orange Blossom is a divine blend of clementine, orange blossom, and water lily. Nature, Jo's inspiration, takes over my bath.

There will be a scent to please you - no matter what your tastes - in the eclectic collection, which includes citrus and fruity, floral, spicy, woody, and Kohdo Wood fragrances. The bath oils are available in classy glass bottles or plastic. I prefer plastic because I don't have to worry about broken glass on the ceramic tile bathroom floor when my Bengal boy goes on a romp - much safer.

You can purchase Jo Malone Bath Oils on the Jo Malone Web site, or at Saks, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and other department stores. Stop by the Web site sometime to learn about fragrance combining, a way to create your own signature scent.

Photo courtesy of Jo Malone.