Weekend Roundup - April 3

This was a great week for beauty blogs. Spring brings out flowers, color, contests, and creative ladies! Here's a roundup of some of our favorite blog posts.

Kari at Fabulous Over Forty wrote about the Lancome products she uses every day. Lo and behold, Lancome turned around and offered a giveaway of every product she had mentioned! The deadline for that contest is Monday at 5:00 pm CST. Go there now to enter!

Gaia at The Non-Blonde writes about fragrances with such originality - makeup too! This week, she reviewed Chantecaille's Eye Define Palette - with swatches. You are going to want it!

What has Kelly been up to over at Gouldlox Reviews? She had a hair makeover, and you have to see it. The highlights are très chic.

You'll want to read this week's installments of Forty Days and Forty Nights of Potions, Lotions, & Serums at Blogdorf Goodman. Check out the Lisa Hoffman love from Annieytown.

Amber tried out the new and improved Prevage Face. Find out why you need antioxidants for your skin at Beauty Junkies Unite.

KarlaSugar wrote the book on MAC Lip Gloss at The Next Best Thing to Going Shopping Yourself. You can see swatches from nine different formulas before you buy!

Feeling frugal? Felicia tells you about a drugstore bath treat, Suave Naturals Mango Mandarin Refreshing Body Wash, at This That Beauty.

There's always plenty going on at mySkin. Smell the flowers and find out why lavender should be part of your beauty routine.

I'm one of Giorgio Armani Beauty's biggest fans. Check out the new Finishing Fabric Second Skin Blush and see if you can resist. Don't forget to enter the Gillette Venus Embrace Giveaway Contest! The deadline is Monday.

Please let us know if you enjoyed the tour!

NÉOLIA Olive Oil Soap Alert - Costco Restocked!

I have looked for this amazing soap at Costco for a year - always hopeful and always disappointed - because it was never restocked. Until today! I just found it again. I am deliriously happy! I bought seven eight-packs.

You can read about the NÉOLIA Olive Oil soap eight-pack at this Best Things in Beauty link. There are two types in the package - Olive Oil & Shea Butter Soap and Olive Oil Soap - both appeal to me.

I know that not all Costco stores have the same stock, but if you have been looking for this, make the trip. It's worth it!

Buy the soap. Don't bother with the hair products. I hated them and gave them away.

Photo courtesy of NÉOLIA

The Friday Forum - April 2

After a week of liberating mice from Charlie's grip, I'm ready for The Friday Forum! The forum is devoted to what you have to say about anything related to beauty - or anything else you want/need to talk about. Let's chat!

Before we chat, though, a special request. A Best Things in Beauty reader and contest winner is very sick - more sick than usual. She wrote me this week to tell me why she hasn't been very active online lately and that her mother is helping her tweet. Bonnie has a rare disease that keeps her at home and mostly bedridden. In a contest entry, she wrote movingly about her mother, who takes care of her 24/7. As you celebrate the holidays this weekend, please say a prayer for Bonnie or send positive thoughts her way. On Twitter, she's @MissBonnieBelle. I know she would appreciate your kind messages. Her illness just tears at my heart.

Back to the forum. 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? We can help! Want to talk about skin care? I'm game! Just use the comments. We have busy weekends and slow ones on the forum. Either way, I always enjoy hearing from you.

As usual, I will share beauty bits with you over the weekend. I'll put them in the comments, so check for free shipping offers and other treats from beauty companies.The microphone is yours!

Photo courtesy of optionarmageddon

Giorgio Armani Beauty Finishing Fabric Second Skin Blush

Giorgio Armani Beauty has done it again. I bought, received, and swooned. I love the new Finishing Fabric Second Skin Blush ($38). The three shades are limited editions from the Radiant Fabrics Collection. I posted a first look a few weeks ago.

I'll confess that my first reaction when the box arrived was, "Wow, they are smaller than I expected!" At four inches long, I wondered if Armani was on an austerity kick. Then I used one. I can't begin to tell you - emphasize - how little of this product is needed to give you a rosy glow. I bought #1 and #2, and I suspect they will last for years.

The concentrated color blends easily due to the creamy formula. I follow the Armani directions and squeeze out the tiniest bit into my hand before applying the blusher in circular movements with two fingers. When I finish, I follow the Loyd Cassler school of blush and use foundation to blend and blur the edges or lighten any spots where I feel I have applied too much color. If you have never tried the foundation trick, it's the best! Just put foundation over any blush color that's too bright or dark, and it instantly and "permanently" lightens the color and softens the transition on your cheeks.

Another thing you can do with these Finishing Fabrics is mix them in your hand with foundation, moisturizer, or a product like Armani's Crema Nera Soothing Lotion or MAC's Fix + to blend them out. I find that this works really well for me with #2, the darker of the two shades I bought. The first time I applied it, even though I used very little, I applied too much. The second time, I applied less. The third time, I blended it down with a little lotion, and that worked perfectly. Remember, my skin is really pale!

The Finishing Fabric Second Skin Blush is extremely long-lasting. Unlike many powder blushers that need to be refreshed at some point in the day, Finishing Fabric doesn't fade. When I come home from work, I still have blushing cheeks!

No matter how hard I try, I can't get fabulous makeup photos for you. Each photo shows a drollop of the blush at the top and the blush blended at the bottom. The first photo, to the right, is #1. It's the lighter of the two shades I bought. The photo to the left is #2. Both work well for me, depending on what I'm wearing. I hope you can see that #1 is light pink with a bit of blue in it, and #2 is quite rosy. These photos were taken on different parts of my arm, the light outside was fading fast, and I applied less of #2 than #1 when I got these shots. They don't look very different in Blogger, but #2 is definitely darker. I did not blend the product down as much as I do on my face.

I will wait for them to show up at Saks and try #3 (which has more coral in it and is probably too dark for me) when they do. I'm told they shipped to the stores this week, so I hope that Loyd and I can play sometime next week.

Would I recommend that you try one? Absolutely! I don't think you will need two unless you are also a total Armani addict, but one will be a nice addition to your makeup wardrobe. You can purchase Finishing Fabric at the Armani Beauty Web site, and you will be able to find it at Saks and selected Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom counters as well.


Update 4/2 in full sun: Two more photos - this time taken with the advantage of sun. On the left is #1 blended a bit. On the right is #2 - a drollop and smudged (not actually blended).

Update 4/7: Turns out that #3 is the lightest shade! Go figure! I'm headed over to Saks today to pick up a #3. Armani Beauty has added descriptive names to their shades online, and they imply that #1 is peach. See for yourself to the left. :)

Photos courtesy of Armani Beauty or taken by BTiB

Gillette Venus Embrace Disposable Razors

I just started using Gillette's Venus Embrace Disposable Razors, and I am really impressed. Maybe you think, as I used to, that a razor is a razor - and a disposable razor is a disposable razor. Buy whatever you can get at Costco, and you're all set. Right? Wrong! The Venus Embrace Disposable Razors are the nicest razors I have ever used. Better than my other disposables (also from Gillette and Costco).

The Embrace Disposable Razors are the first disposable razors to have five blades instead of the typical three. As a result, they are really effective. They glide smoothly over my legs, and in one stroke, leave them soft, smooth, and perfectly stubble-free. With regular disposables, I have to be careful not to cut myself, and I can feel the sharp razor blades moving across my skin - even with a nice coating of soap or shave gel.

With the Embrace Razor, there is no sharp feeling, just the smooth "embrace" of what feels like a soft "paddle" running over my skin. The way these disposables are designed, I think it would be hard to cut myself. The head pivots to adjust to the bony parts of my legs. The first time I tried the Embrace Disposable, I couldn't believe the blades were even making contact and shaving - it was that smooth. I also like their soft-grip handle - makes it hard for the razor to slip out of my hands, another way I have cut myself in the past.

Does anyone use a disposable razor just once? I sure don't. Each razor normally lasts me a few weeks. These razors come in three packs. They are $7.49 at Drugstore.com, which also has a buy two save $2 offer. There are plenty of other sources. They are available at mass market drugstores and retailers like Walmart.

Am I raving? Yes! I think these razors are an advance in the razor market, and that's pretty cool. Gillette sent me these to test. I will be buying my next pack.

We have a Gillette Venus Giveaway Contest going, and I'm going to extend the deadline by a couple of days - until April 5. The winner will receive four great Gillette Venus products, and the Embrace Disposables will be in the winner's box. Because it's spring break, I think a lot of people are away and haven't seen this nice giveaway. By extending the deadline, I hope to give more of you a chance to win. Not only that, I want to have a bit more time to tell you about the other products in the package. If you haven't entered yet, just go to this link and leave a comment telling us how you stay cool and look your best during the summer.

Photo courtesy of Gillette Venus

Benefit Celebrating April Fools' Day with a Treat

Benefit Cosmetics is celebrating the gags, jokes, and pranks of April Fools' Day with a honey-laden offer! Today only, with any $75 order, you will receive a "Honey Snap out of It" exfoliating facial cleanser with any $75 order. Use the code FUNNYDAY at checkout before midnight PST.

Something good will come out of today's frivolity!

Photo courtesy of Benefit

Melvita Bio-excellence Lait Hydratant pour le Corps

Want an effective body moisturizer that's so lightweight it sinks into your skin instantly, allowing you to throw on a pair of slacks or blouse without fear of an oil slick? Melvita's Bio-excellence Moisturizing Body Milk ($28) was made for you!

This fresh, creamy body milk provides in-depth nourishment for the driest, most dehydrated skins and forms a protective film - without leaving behind a trace of "goo."

It combines the softening and exceptionally soothing properties of baobab with the firming qualities of kigelia and the invigorating qualities of macadamia, moringa, coconut. Added to the mix are the softness of shea, cocoa, and avocado butters and the soothing qualities of stevia and pumpkin sterols. Sound heavy? Only in effectiveness!

This body milk has a very subtle fruity fragrance. Each time I apply it on my legs and arms, I catch a slight whiff that smells berry-like (maybe strawberries?). It's a non-greasy, milky lotion that has a lasting moisturizing effect on my legs, which came out of winter looking as dusty as a scalp with dandruff! I'll admit that even beauty bloggers don't take the time to moisturize after every morning shower.

Like most Melvita products, Lait Hydratant pour le Corps (do I sound more wordly when I use its French name?) is a natural, organic treat for your skin. Melvita is French organic body care and beauty products leader. The company is located in the heart of the Ardèche countryside. Founded in 1983 by beekeeper and biologist Bernard Chevilliat, Melvita (meaning “honey and life” in Latin) has been a pioneer in the field of organic beauty for more than 25 years and is a passionate advocate for the complete organic lifestyle.

You can purchase Melvita at SkinStore, Beautorium, and other online sites. Right now, SkinStore has a great offer with purchase. While supplies last, you will receive a free moisturizing duo worth $20 with any $45 Melvita purchase. That's a great way to try some new products!

Photo courtesy of Melvita