Thursday, September 10, 2009

Korres Celebrates Fashion's Night Out with Deals, Steals, and More


Shop at Korres Web site until midnight tonight (Central time) and get free ground shipping, 20% off all orders over $25, and deep discounts on favorites. Go to this link to see all the specials and the codes you will need. Definitely worth window shopping, even if you don't buy!

Photo courtesy of Korres.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

L'Oreal Paris Lipsticks - High Fashion at Drugstore Prices

I wish L'Oreal wouldn't put so much perfume in their L'Oreal Paris lipsticks! They are available in an incredible range of colors, with fabulous moisturizing properties, and I can't wear them. All because of the fragrance. L'Oreal Paris, can you hear me? Lose the fragrance, gain customers.

For you gals who are not troubled by heavily perfumed lipsticks or the scent of these lipsticks, however, L'Oreal Paris offers beautiful lip colors in their Colour Riche Lipcolour (you can find these at your local drugstore, drugstore.com, or Ulta). Available in every shade of the lip color spectrum, and featuring the latest in lip looks for Fall, Colour Riche Lipcolor has been made richer, creamier, and even more moisturizing. L'Oreal Paris has added Omega 3, Vitamin E, and Argon Oil to condition and hydrate your lips. The latest Colour Riche Anti-Aging Serum formula contains an anti-aging serum in the middle, loaded with ProXalyne and collagen to fill in any lines and make the lips look a bit more plump.

The Colour Riche Star Secrets colors feature various beautiful celebrities and show you how to create their lipstick looks. It's fun to follow the looks, even when they become shopping challenges. For some reason, the Diane Keaton look was one that was almost impossible to find. Fortunately, most of them can be found on featured displays at your drugstore.

How I would love to wear Berry Exciting (#203) or Blushing Bouquet (#201), beautiful colors for me and perfect for the season! CVS has a BOGO offer now. At drugstore.com, these are $9.99 and if you buy one, you can get the second at a 50% discount. As always, there will be other local drugstores with a BOGO offer - if not now, soon.

"Drugstore lipsticks" are the perfect way to test out the new Fall colors without breaking the bank.

Photo courtesy of drugstore.com.

Diana B. Body Products

Diana B. Beauty, founded by former model Diana Barton, seems like a stealth brand to me. Although it has been featured in many major magazines, I didn't discover it until 2008, when the body products arrived at Art with Flowers in Tysons Galleria. Quickly drawn to the new display, I smelled, tested, and selected Body Lotion and Bath Gel, both in Peach Frangipani Flower.

The Body Lotion ($30-$35) is a delicious combination of white peach (think Bellini) and frangipani (or plumeria) flowers, with an almost undetectable note of pink pepper. The lotion is full of good stuff for your skin, including aloe vera, sugar cane extracts, marine oils, seaweed, Vitamins E and A, spirulina, and chamomile. The fragrance is intoxicating - just as too many Bellinis can be.

The Bath Gel ($30) has the same fragrance and many of the same ingredients. Aloe vera, seaweed extracts, spirulina, and chamomile combine to produce a nice, scented lather that leaves your skin smooth and silky. It's a nice shaving gel as well.

Peach Frangipani is also available in an oil-, wax-, and chemical-free Sugar Scrub ($50-$55) for the body and Candles ($45).

Other fragrances available in each of the products are Maple Sugar Lychee Nut, Green Tea Desert Grapefruit (do you think she meant "dessert"?), Black Fig, and Chocolate. I just got samples of all of these at Art with Flowers, and they are yummy.

Available from Luckyscent, SkinStore, Beauty.com, and, of course, Art with Flowers.

Diana B. also makes products for face care, but the product I really want to try is an item that has generated a lot of buzz, the $60 Diana B. 60 Second Instant Miracle Tan. The chocolate truffle, coconut, and almond-scented foam formula is designed to be applied in the shower and then rinsed with water. A sunless tan is said to appear one minute later. No orange, no streaking, no stink. You can find this at Amazon, among other sources.

Photo courtesy of Diana B.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

John Masters Organic Hair Care

The nice folks at Beautorium sent me some samples of John Masters organic hair products with my order last week. On Sunday, I used the first two and was thrilled with the results. Monday, the second two. After blow drying, my hair was bouncy, full, soft, and shiny. I hope Beautorium will indulge me as I liberally quote their Web site here. Their product descriptions are fabulous.

The brand was created in 1991. John Masters is a pioneer of prestige natural haircare and skincare in America and internationally. His products use Eco-Cert and Quality Assurance International-certified organic ingredients where possible and are free from parabens, petrochemcials, and other nasty chemical ingredients. In 2004, the United Kingdom Soil Association selected John Master's Organics as Product of the Year at London's leading European organic trade show. I knew about John Masters - he is famous, after all, but I had never tried his products.

I started with John Masters Evening Primrose Shampoo for Dry Hair ($16). This shampoo is made from the gentlest corn and coconut cleansers and infused with conditioning plant extracts and essential oils. It washes away oil and the environment's dirt and grime without stripping the hair shaft. It's safe for color-treated hair like mine. When I pushed the shampoo out of its sample packet, I was amazed, for some reason, that it was brown. That seemed to me to be an unusual color for shampoo. No worries, though - as I worked it into my hair, it turned into the "normal" white lather I expected and left no traces of brown in my blond hair.

The ingredients include:
  • evening primrose – anti-inflammatory, adds moisture, strengthens hair;
  • rose geranium – strengthens hair shaft, a cellular regenerative;
  • meadowfoamate – a conditioning agent derived from the meadowsweet plant;
  • avocado oil – moisturizing, assists in cell regeneration, high in amino acids;
  • ylang ylang – controls and reduces oiliness of the scalp; and
  • cedarwood – treats oiliness, eczema, psoriasis, and dandruff and is anti-inflammatory.
For my conditioner, I used John Masters Lavender & Avocado Intensive Conditioner ($22). Even the name was enticing, so while I had other samples to try, I choose this one. The conditioner contains lavender and avocado oils plus vitamin B5, all of which bring moisture and vitality to dry hair. It contains over a dozen plant extracts and essential oils to moisturize and strengthen the hair shaft. Lavender is said to slow hair loss and treat eczema and dermatitis of the scalp. Avocado oil moisturizes and conditions hair. Have you read some of the natural avocado conditioner recipes in the mags? This is a lot easier. Vitamin B5, or panthenol, strengthens hair follicles, makes hair look thicker and fuller, adds shine, and repairs hair damaged by over-processing. The fragrance from the lavender was heavenly, and, it made its exit as I was blow drying my hair - perfect.

What's really amazing is that the bounce lasted overnight. When I get up in the morning, my hair is usually "plastered" to my scalp (the zero-volume look) and stick straight, with only a misplaced wave or two. All of the styling work from the day before is gone. Not so with the John Masters products I used! I awakened the next morning, looked at my hair, and thought, "I could leave the house this way." Now, that's a miracle!

Next up, I tried John Masters’ newest treatment item, John Masters Honey & Hibiscus Hair Reconstructor. In addition to honey and hibiscus, the conditioning formula features soy protein, kelp extract, cupuaçu butter, and linoleic and hyaluronic acids (the same acids found in young hair) to help reconstruct and smooth hair. According to WWD, Masters said, “When hair is smoother, it is reflecting more light.” It will also improve hair volume and reduce static electricity.” Retailing for $28, Honey & Hibiscus Hair Reconstructor can be used as a once-weekly treatment for normal to dry hair or after every shampoo for more damaged hair. I will use it after every shampoo. I found it to be a perfect conditioner. You should have seen me squeezing every last bit out of that packet!

Another try? John Masters Zinc & Sage Shampoo with Conditioner ($20). Also brown in color, it contains zinc, sage, wheat protein, and yucca root (which gives it its foaming property). Zinc and sage are natural scalp regulators that maintain the equilibrium of oils, ending any itch and flakes caused by over-drying products, the accidental sunburn, or cold weather. Wheat protein conditioner leaves your hair shiny and manageable and your scalp healthy and balanced. It's safe for color-treated hair. After I shampooed, I felt some volume in my hair (even with wet hair you could tell), and it felt good.

The John Masters products I tried were uniformly wonderful in meeting their promises. You can purchase them at Beautorium.com. I love Beautorium, my new "Web shopping site," and hope you will too. They sent two more John Masters Organic samples. I can't wait to try them. In the meantime, the order I plan to place is growing. May have to wait for the next paycheck.

Photo courtesy of Beautorium.

Neiman Marcus Beauty Event

These are darling bags! I saw them this past weekend, and I want them! Your choice of bag (red or brown leopard) will come with any cosmetics or fragrance pre-order (now) or purchase of $100 or more during Beauty Event, which runs from September 10-20 (21st online).

Unlike prior years, the samples inside are sparse. This season, it's the tote and the "cash back" that are the main attractions.

With a $500 purchase, you will receive a Neiman Marcus gift card of $50. At $750, it will be $75. If you go all-out and spend $1000, you will be rewarded with a card for $100. This is very much like the Saks Spend Some Get Some promotions. My Chanel rep said that the card would be applied to my purchase, but the conditions on the Neiman Marcus site say otherwise. Regardless, free money is free money! When you want something that is never discounted, now's the time to buy.

There is also a long list of brands participating with free gifts. I will warn you, though, that the threshold for getting a gift with purchase is high. You can see the offers at this Neiman Marcus link.

Photo courtesy of Neiman Marcus.

Armani Luminous Silk Foundation Giveaway Contest

Best Things in Beauty is thrilled to announce our latest giveaway contest. If you are the lucky winner, you will receive an Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Foundation in shade 4.5, Sand. This foundation sells for $58. The color offered is a medium shade, and it works for many skin tones. You can see a swatch at this link.

An award-winning foundation, Luminous Silk was hailed by InStyle as a Best Beauty Buy and Allure as a Best of Beauty Winner in the base category. This oil-free foundation offers the perfect balance between sheerness and coverage. It evens out your skin tone and leaves behind a beautiful finish that lasts all day.

If you would like to enter for a chance to win this fabulous foundation, e-mail bestthingsinbeautycontests@gmail.com and tell us whether you have ever tried Armani Beauty products before and, if so, what you liked best. If you haven't ever tried the line, just let us know why you would like to start with this foundation. A small team of judges will select the winner.

The deadline for entries is midnight Sunday, September 13. Because of shipping restrictions, only U.S. entries, please.

This giveaway is sponsored by the generous and talented Armani Beauty Team at Saks Fifth Avenue in Chevy Chase, Maryland. They are having an Armani event on September 25 and 26, so make sure to stop by to say hello if you live anywhere near the store.

I will be posting this contest on Free!Grechen, my favorite site for giveaways.

Photo courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Laura Mercier's Scarlet Passion Collection

I used my Sunday to cruise through Nordstrom to see the latest in makeup (and buy a fabulous handbag reduced from $400 to $129). Christopher Coles, my favorite Nordstrom makeup artist, showed me the latest Scarlet Passion Collection from Laura Mercier. Two of the pieces sang to me, and a third beckoned.

I really loved the Cheek Color Duo in Whisper ($24). The colors are light, subtle, and perfect for my pale face. If I got this right, the warm, golden nude on the right is a color that was discontinued as a single, so all of you who have missed it can now get more. The left-hand color is a soft, pearly petal pink. Beautiful when used alone, and perfect when mixed together.

Laura Mercier's Web site has the following description of this pretty duo.
  • Oil-free with a light-as-air texture
  • Natural, buildable and never cakey formula
  • Infused with vitamins and natural botanicals to condition and nourish the skin
  • Long-wearing, remains colour-true all day
  • Vitamins C and E and coffee fruit provide antioxidant protection
  • Chamomile soothes, and aloe leaves skin feeling silky and maintains moisture balance
  • Light-diffusing qualities allow for a mistake-proof and flawless application
Sounds perfect? It's really nice.

I also loved the two Luster Eye Colours ($22) and had to buy at least one for now: Gilded Gold. The color is a peach gold with a subtle shimmer that will be perfect alone or as a neutral shade to use as a foil for a more dramatic contouring shadow. I was very tempted by Bronze Copper and may end up with it yet. The shadows are described on the Laura Mercier Web site this way.
  • Long-wearing and crease-resistant
  • Micronized pigments deliver deep color in the release of one stroke
  • Offers true color and brilliance
  • Ultra-refined for a soft, luxurious feel
As Allure said, gold and chocolate are two hot eye colors for Fall. Laura Mercier brought us beautiful versions with Gilded Gold and Bronze Copper.

Another trend for Fall? Bold red and bordeaux lips. Available in the collection are four matte Satin Lip Colour ($22) lipsticks that are all cherry and red tones; a Lip Pencil ($19) in Redwood; and two new Lip Velvet ($22) shades. Lip Velvet, like Chanel's new Lip Lacquer, is a highly pigmented, creamy, and long-wearing liquid lipstick. It is described as "demi-matte."

The lip colors were not "for me." I need a bit of shine to make my lips look a little larger, and the colors, while in style for Fall, are not my favorites. If you like matte and semi-matte lipsticks, though, or you want to see the latest bold lips, you should check out these new colors.

The Scarlet Passion Collection is already available at Nordstrom, Saks, Neiman Marcus, and Laura Mercier's Web site.

Photo courtesy of Laura Mercier.