Ulta's 20% Off Sale

The last time Ulta had a big sale, I got "beyond frustrated." There were so many exclusions, I found that only one item in my cart qualified. It was seriously misleading, so I bailed and ordered nothing.

This sale, offering 20% off your entire purchase, is a little better. They must have heard us! Some of the "prestige brands," including Urban Decay, Elizabeth Arden, Stila, Purminerals, StudioGear, and SriVectin, are included. Before you shop, though, the exclusions include fragrance, hair artistry (high-end) brands, Bare Escentuals, Demalogica, Philosophy, Clarisonic, Thermaclear, and T3. For a complete and long list of what's excluded from this sale, go to this link. Do you still want to shop?

I like to pass along great deals, but I'm not sure this is a great deal. I'll let you be the judge. You can often do better at the drugstore BOGO sales on Revlon, CoverGirl, Maybelline, and the like. I'm really not sure - of the products I use - what may be left to qualify for this discount.

I love the Ulta store; it's a wonderland for beauty lovers. I just wish these sales were more inclusive. To get this discount, use code 20680 online. The discount will be offered until January 30.

Photo courtesy of Ulta

Crystal Couture - DC Area Fun and Fashion in February

Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia is poised to join the ranks of top fashion destinations for one week in February (February 1st through 6th) when it will be the center of fun, fashion, and festivities during the second annual Crystal Couture event.

The Natalia Sanz Collection will be participating in Crystal Couture. At 23rd Street and S. Crystal Drive (across from Jaleo), you'll find an exotic runway, boutique, and night club, featuring trunk shows, live theater, DJs, specialty drinks, food, comedians, dancing, and more - every evening from 6:00 to 10:00 pm. No tickets are required. The event is free and open to everyone.

Crystal Couture is designed to bring great retail and runway straight to attendees - whether seasoned fashionistas or eager newbies. For a list of fashion designers and boutiques participating in the event, check out this link. Looks like LIERAC (one of my favorite skin care lines) will have a presence. I'll let you know more about that soon.

The Natalia Sanz Collection will be featured all week in fashion shows and booth sales. Attendees will be able to view Natalia's sophisticated garments and jewelry up close, customize their orders, and purchase items. More on Natalia below.

Local non-profit groups will be onsite to collect donations of new or gently used clothing and footwear. The event will also celebrate National Wear Red Day on February 5. The American Heart Association's Go Red Campaign staff will be on hand to help you sign up for the campaign, win prizes, and find out how to keep your heart healthy.

Want to know more about Natalia Sanz?

Inspired by architecture, geometry, and texture, Natalia creates classic styles with a modern touch. All of her pieces are expertly crafted to fit the fashion-forward woman exquisitely. Her creations include elegant cocktail dresses and separates that are versatile enough to go from day to night. Silk, satin, cotton, and jersey are some of the fabrics she favors because of their beauty and elegance as well as their ability to accentuate a woman’s curves. Natalia also designs jewelry. Her jewelry, like her clothing, is elegant and sophisticated. She creates long stunning earrings, dramatic pendant necklaces, and gorgeous bracelets.

What a great time to see her collection and participate in what's billed as "Wild, Sexy, Fashionable Fun" - with at least three runway shows each hour and free hair styling and makeovers. There will be 30 or more boutiques featured every evening, and many will be selling their clothes at great event prices. Don't miss out on this free event!

To hear updates about Crystal Couture, follow the Crystal City Business Improvement District on Twitter @ccbid or become a friend on Facebook.

Photos courtesy of Crystal Couture and Natalia Sanz

Maybelline Color Pearls Mineralized Eyeshadow Duos Giveaway Contest Winners

We have five winners. Congratulations to Shopgurl, Kimberly B, Sarah S, Cassie L, and Angela K! All of them have been notified by e-mail.

The first three winning entries - the planned ones - were selected at random (by Random.org) to receive a Maybelline Color Pearls Mineralized Eyeshadow Duo. Shopgurl will be wearing Bronze Blowout; Kimberly will be wearing Silver Starlet; and Sarah will be wearing Khaki Craze.

I liked Angela's and Cassie's entries so much, I added them as our fourth and fifth winners. They took a lot of time to write about their favorite drugstore products, so I'm going to send each of them a duo too! Just have to see if I can find their favorite colors this weekend.

I think you gals will love these shadows! As I always do for BTiB contest winners (formerly a little secret), I'll be throwing a few extras into their packages. Each of them will receive a sample of Armani's Fluid Sheer #3 and Crema Nera Obsidian Reviving Mineral Eye Cream, courtesy of the Armani Beauty Team at Saks!

I learned some interesting things about your favorite drugstore beauty products with the contest entries. I decided to share a few of the reader favorites with all of you (edited a bit), so that you can see what your fellow BTiB readers are loving. You might find a new favorite by taking a cue from your Web friends!

Sarah: I am a huge L'Oreal mascara fan--I love the Voluminous Carbon Black (with the curved brush). I am also in love with Revlon ColorStay liquid liner. What I love about it mainly is the stiff brush that makes it easy apply a thin line for those who are in a hurry, and it lasts at least 12 hrs.

Emily: My favorite drugstore item is CoverGirl Smoothers tinted moisturizer.

Mindy: My favorite drugstore product would be the Curel lotion; it is the only lotion I found that does not leave a residue and is not sticky.

Nina: My favorite drugstore drugstore beauty product is the Lumene Blueberry Curl Mascara. I love that its formula isn't thick and goopy. It gets the right amount of mascara to your lashes and I'm digging the plastic wand too!

Vickie: One of my favorite drugstore picks is Maybelline ColorSensational Lipcolor.

Cindi: A drugstore cosmetic that I like and wear is Boots No.7 Moisture Drench Lipstick in Divine.

Nicole: My fave drugstore beauty product would definitely have to be Rimmel's Lasting Finish Lipsticks! I love how creamy they are, and they glide on easily. They also don't dry out lips like most drugstore lipsticks. They're very moisturizing. I'm thinking about collecting them all. :)

Heather: I love so many drugstore makeup items. I suppose my favorite drugstore beauty product is Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner in black because it is absolute perfection! Stays on all day and super black :)

Angela: My favorite drugstore beauty product at the moment is Boots Botanics Smoothing Facial Serum. I'm only in my mid-twenties, but I have some areas of my skin where the skin is rougher than I'd like (mostly in the winter, when it gets really dry). This serum is a good primer for makeup - after cleansing and using Shiseido Pureness Balancing Softener, I apply the serum before applying moisturizer. It smooths out the unevenness caused by dry skin without clogging pores or stinging. I also like that it's organic.

Vittoria: My favorite drugstore beauty product is Milani's retractable eyeliner pencil. It's waterproof, so it stays put, and I love not having to sharpen the point!

Seth: My favorite drugstore product is Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner in Blackest Black.

Eve: My favorite drugstore buy is the CoverGirl Lash Blast, and Lash Blast Luxe! I also love nyx shadows!

Bonnie: I would have to say that my favorite drugstore item would have to be mascara. I just love the CoverGirl mascaras (especially Lash Blast and Lash Exact).

Erin: My favorite drugstore beauty product is Milani blushes.

Cassie: I am a hardcore bargainista, and love finding a good deal, and recently found a great clearance deal at CVS (did a haul video on YouTube: Cass1222) and have found Milani eyeshadows to have rich pigmentation. My all time favorite drugstore mascara is L'Oreal Voluminious in Carbon Black- gives the most darkest thick lashes! Wet 'n Wild products have also grown and gotten better in pigmentation and quality - their cream eyeliner in black is a great way to line my eyes, both the rims and along the lashes, and its at a GREAT price! Be sure to check those out!

Fun entries - and great information. Thanks to everyone who entered and shared their favorites. We had an amazing number of entries - it's clear we share our addiction to makeup!

Stay tuned for upcoming giveaway contests. We will start another one this weekend.

Photo courtesy of Maybelline

Bare Escentuals - Rethink What Matters

Bare Escentuals just started an entertaining new campaign. They are inviting women to shake up their "foundation" and sound off on topics that are more than just skin-deep - from "going bare in public to discussing what freedom really feels like."

The beauty brand knows that looking good is not all about using makeup to cover imperfections, but about enhancing what you’ve got. In keeping with their wink-wink approach to marketing, Bare Escentuals has unveiled thought-provoking taglines to help start conversations among girlfriends about what really matters. They will be asking us to rethink beauty, energize our minds, get creative, put aside age-old assumptions, and think differently about makeup. Want an example? “Rethink Going Bare in Public. BareMineral’s SPF15 Foundation feels completely weightless, but gives you all the flawless coverage you need. Like you are wearing nothing at all.”

Bare Escentuals invites you to give rethinking a try. Every week at RethinkWhatMatters, a new discussion topic will be featured with five questions for all of us to answer, share with our friends by e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter - and have the chance win hundreds of free products and other fantastic goodies. New topics and products will be featured weekly, posted each Friday. The first topic is “Rethinking going bare in public,” and Bare Escentuals will be giving away the Flawless Definition Mascara.

Feeling cheeky? Visit Rethink What Matters and take the fun quiz! Every week, we'll have more fun. In San Francisco, New York, or Chicago? Visit one of the Quickie Vans and get your very own make-under and lots of other goodies! On Twitter? Follow the van on Twitter @BareEscentuals or find out what others are thinking by searching #rethinking. You can even tweet your own ideas. Just use the tagline #rethinking.

We will even have a Rethink What Matters giveaway here at Best Things in Beauty. For now, head over to Rethink What Matters and join the fun!

Photo courtesy of Bare Escentuals

MEG 21 - Say Goodbye to Glycation

Diabetes research led to a skin-care breakthrough. It's all about glycation. Hang in there with me as we "talk science."

Glycation occurs when you eat sugars - not just refined sugar, but anything that turns into glucose in your body - and the glucose hits your bloodstream. These sugars latch on to proteins, and through a "binding" mechanism between sugar and protein, cause your skin to ultimately become stiff and brittle. Much of this results from large molecules generated from the glycation process, which are called advanced glycation end products, appropriately abbreviated as AGEs.

The more sugar you eat, the more AGEs you produce. As they multiply, these molecules wreak havoc with proteins, including collagen and elastin, which keep our skin firm and elastic. The result is sagging, wrinkled skin. Yikes!

Obviously, limiting sugar in your diet is a way to fight glycation, but foods that contain sugars aren't always the obvious cookies, cake, and candy. Many foods, particularly the processed kinds like ketchup, sodas, salad dressing, pasta sauces, and cereal, contain high fructose corn syrup (a sugar). Even natural foods like orange juice and carbohydrates will cause glycation. There goes my diet!

An NIH-funded research team working on diabetes and cancer uncovered the link between 3DG (3-deoxyglucosone) and our skin. 3DG is present in skin and causes:

• inflammation,
• decreased production of collagen,
• collagen and elastin cross-linking,
• formation of advanced glycation end products, and
• oxidative stress and free radicals.

These all contribute to skin aging.

The scientists then discovered how to control 3DG, a product of the body's breakdown of sugar and a key ingredient in skin aging. Further research led to the development of Supplamine, a combination of natural amino acids and a substitute sugar that does not cause toxic 3DG, oxidative stress, or free radicals. The MEG 21 moisturizing, anti-aging, and anti-wrinkle products developed by Dynamis Skin Science incorporate the discovery.

Since I'm a carb queen, I knew that the MEG 21 products might offer a refreshing treat for my skin. Dynamis Skin Science generously sent me samples of three of their four MEG 21 products: Face Treatment, Advanced Treatment, and Eye Treatment. After a three-week test, I can already see results!

The MEG 21 Face Treatment increases moisture, firmness, and smoothing as it provides an immediate glow and great dry skin relief. It has a nice consistency (it's specifically formulated for the face and for use under makeup), and I like the fact that I know it's there. My dry skin needs proof that a product is providing 12-hour moisture. The MEG 21 Face Treatment is infused with soy-based liposomes and leaves my skin soft and supple.

The MEG 21 Advanced Formula fascinates me. Although it's marketed specifically for hard-to-treat areas of the neck, chest, and upper arms, I unwitting used it on my face and loved it. After telling my contact at Dynamis Skin Science about that, she recommended I use it around my eyes because of its high concentration of Supplamine. Almost immediately, the crepiness I hate over the "inside" upper lid started to firm. That's because MEG 21 Advanced Formula has a higher amount of the active ingredients, with some of them not encased in liposomes, and it is enriched with shea butter and green tea extract.

The MEG 21 Bright & Firm Eye Treatment combines Supplamine with additional active ingredients, including three scientifically proven botanical extracts that brighten the skin, firm and strengthen the fragile eye area, and decrease puffiness and dark circles. The botanical ingredients are pfaffia, marapuama, and white lily. These ingredients help to gradually reduce the appearance of fat deposits under the eyes through local improvements in micro-circulation and a "lipolytic modulating effect," and they also reduce the appearance of dark circles.

There are clinical studies that show the effectiveness of MEG 21 products. All - that's 100% - of the participants had an increase in moisture, smoothness, and firmness after four weeks of use. Moisture levels were increased by 45%, and fine lines and wrinkles were reduced by 43% from baseline. That's pretty impressive!

I wondered whether younger women would appreciate MEG 21 as much as I do. I learned that MEG 21 products are great for all skin types, even for acne-prone skin. Also, the telltale signs of glycation are evident in skin as early as age 23. Starting use early can help people "age gracefully."

I'm going to continue to use these products. They are sold by physicians and licensed skin care professionals. You can see a list of suppliers at this link. You may find that sources near your home are few and far between. The good news is that if you Google MEG 21, you will find some online sources.

Photo courtesy of Dynamis Skin Science

The Friday Forum - January 22

It's that time again. The Friday Forum is devoted to what you have to say about anything related to beauty. Let's chat! Last week we got going on argan oil. It was fun!

Are you using a fabulous product and want to sing its praises? Tell us about it! Did you find a beauty product disappointing? Tell us why! Do you have questions others might be able to answer? Ask! Want an eyeshadow that will make your eyes look this blue? (Hint: look at Baby Bengal's coloring!)

We will use the comments for what I always hope will be a fun and helpful exchange of information.

Normally, I don't provide a Friday Forum topic or ask you a question to kick off the conversation. I always have beauty bits to share. I'll put them in the comments this weekend, so check for free shipping offers and other treats from beauty companies.

The microphone is yours!

Baby Bengal photo courtesy of greenmansions.net

Dior Lace for Spring 2010 - Dentelle Eyeshadow Palette in Coquette

More on the Dior Lace Collection for Spring 2010!

There are two new Five-Color Eyeshadow Palettes ($57). My choice (and Loyd Cassler's) was Coquette, shown here, a palette of pink, plum, and gray. The name of the compact comes from the very French "coquettish" wink of color.

When I first looked at these shadows, I thought they might be too pink for my tastes. The pinks actually have a touch of peach in them, making them far more wearable on the eyes than true pinks would be. True pinks make me look like an albino bunny. The shades are all soft and sheer, which I like, and the two plum-toned shades (at the left) are tempered with taupe and gray - perfect to make your blue eyes blue!

There are so many combinations you can create with this palette - it's like having two new palettes! The ultra-smooth texture of Dior's Five-Color Eyeshadows allows flawless blending. With my super primer, the shadows last all day, and they don't crease.

There is a second Five-Color Eyeshadow Palette in Pearl Glow. It features shades of indigo, violet, and silver to dress eyes in soft, smoky luminosity. I haven't tried these yet - may have to pop back over to Saks or Nordstrom when I have time to stay and play.

Like most of the spring collections, Dior's is extraordinarily pretty! "Pretty" is the adjective of the season, and it's about time. The choices we have this season are staggering. I'm thinking of going without food so that I can keep buying. I would like to lose three pounds anyhow. (OK, those of you who know me will scoff, but even size 4s feel fat sometimes.)

If you have a Dior event coming up in your area (I hear from Kari at Fabulous Over Forty that Macy's is having a series of events), you should go! The collection is available at Saks, Nordstrom, and wherever Dior cosmetics sold. The Dior Lace Collection will delight you.

Photo courtesy of Saks