Category Archives: found in Department Stores

Review: La Mer The Eye Balm Intense

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So I’m totally loving  The Eye Balm Intense from La Mer and I know what you’re thinking, ‘of course you love it, it’s a $145 eye cream,’ but I can attest to the fact that price isn’t an accurate indicator of quality. I try things from prestige brands all the time that aren’t worth a review.

Our eyes begin to show signs of aging as early as our late 20′s so if you’re serious about having wrinkle-free eyes start using this from now. It’s also a good call if you use Botox around the eyes because you won’t have to inject as frequently. It’s about protecting the investment.

Don’t look for the balm to fit into a specific treatment category, its super-advanced ingredient lineup targets puffiness, wrinkling, and skin clarity. If it’s a problem, this will solve it.

I’m now celebrating my 7th month without Botox. Who knows if I’ll fall off the wagon again, but for now I’m doing what I can to keep my face smooth and needle-free.

The Eye Balm Intense

Post-Summer Skin Savers

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Here we are back to work and (hopefully) relaxed from the long Labor Day weekend! As the weather changes, I get more and more emails about skincare. Since basking in the sun can do a number on the skin, I have a few fixes to cure post-summertime skin problems.

Soaking up the sun can trigger oil production making skin greasier than ever. Calm inflamed skin and chase away shine with Erno Laszlo’s  fantastic Antioxidant Mattifying Complex, a hydrator/treatment that nourishes the skin with gentle hydration while matting out shine and protecting with SPF 15. This is a fantastic solution for women (and men) who have out of control oily skin because its gentle hydration encourages skin to normalize and produce less oil over time.

It’s all fun and games in the sun until you realize those rays have left their mark on your skin. DERMAdoctor has a treatment to fade away sun damage without using hydraquinone. It’s a brightener called Immaculate Correction and it even fades  stubborn melasma.

Wind, sun, and the overall neglect of the skin can lead to a nagging dullness that’s easy to spot and hard to lick. White Recovery Pure Vitamin C Intense Brightening Serum from Shu Uemura has an all-star line up of potent ingredients to banish dark spots, and give tired skin a youthful glow.

That super thin skin around your eyes is among the first to show age, largely due to squinting in the sun. Don’t forget to always wear your shades outside and use an eye cream to un-do damage like Liftactiv Retinol HA Eyes from Vichy which contains vitamins, retinol, and hyaluronic acid to reduce wrinkles and boost hydration.

Brighten Up Skin With Cover FX Briteprep Primer

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Of course you want your skin to look healthy and fresh, but adding a highlighter to the skin might not be for you. If you’re on the oily side or just don’t like the pronounced look of a highlighter on the skin, try using something under makeup like Briteprep from Cover FX. It’s a skin primer that simply brightens skin without using any shine or shimmery effects so it  flatters all skin types. You’ll notice that your skin looks brighter even under makeup and the SPF 50 will have you covered for your daily dose of sunscreen.

Briteprep

Review: DiorShow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum

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For those still holding out from climbing aboard the lash growth serum bandwagon, Dior might have just the thing for you. Their new DiorShow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum acts as a weightless, undetectable primer to lengthen and thicken lashes under mascara and infusing lashes with soy protein to strengthen them over time. I’ve been wearing it under mascara as well as overnight on clean lashes as I have with lash primers in the past and I really like its texture. It isn’t gloppy or thick and the brush distributes just enough of it to evenly coat the lashes without clumping them up. Dior clams it even helps with curl which I can agree with, my lashes do hold their curl a lot longer when I use it versus when I don’t.

Dior DiorShow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum

Super Duper Skin Care

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Skin care is getting more and more advanced, so there’s no excuse to not love the look of your skin. Check out my picks for some skin care that has been giving my skin the royal treatment.

The Super Duper Do-It-All Skin Reviving Serum

SkinMedica’s skin boosting serum is widely regarded as one of the best on the market for changing skin on a few fronts. TNS Essential Serum uses a powerful growth factor combined with peptides to get into the skin cells and repair them so when they make their way up to the surface, they create younger looking skin that’s less wrinkled and more radiant. 7 antioxidants are used to fight off environmental damage to protect the youthful, new skin it helps to create.

The At-Home Peel

Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare (formerly MD Skincare) makes a bunch of stuff that I love, but recently I’m addicted to their Alpha Beta Daily Face Peel. For half the cost of a peel done by a pro, you’ll have a month’s worth of pads that will correct redness, calm acne, chase away fine lines, tighten large pores, and address dull skin. It didn’t leave my face flaky or red, it just started doing its thing right away to calm an annoying breakout and give my skin a totally rested and alert look.

The Smart Cleanser 

Who cares about a cleanser right? You rub it on then wash it all off, it doesn’t matter what’s in it as long as it’s getting skin clean. Not true with Erno Laszlo because they’re  taking cleansing a step further with their Firmarine, a Spirulina Maxima and Algae Extract rich cleansing bar that strengthens and firms the skin even after it’s washed away.

The Beautiful Moisturizer

I’ve been prepping my client’s skin with Intraceuticals Opulence Moisture Brightening Cream because it adds so much radiance to the skin, I’m cutting down the amount of foundation I use on them by half. I wore it today by combining it with a drop of liquid bronzer which made my skin practically glow. How many moisturizers can make your skin look that good instantly?

The Nourishing Eye Oil

Eye cream, yes, but eye oil? You bet. Before bed, I’ve been using an oil under a cream for added moisture before wearing a silk eye mask to keep it all in place. You don’t have to do the whole routine like I do, just get a moisturizing oil like Bioelements new All Things Pure Eye Oil. It absorbs easily into the skin and has an ingredient lineup that’s so pure you could eat it.

Nordstrom Anniversary 2010 Beauty Exclusives

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Only second to Christmas in my book is Nordstrom’s Anniversary sale where new stuff comes in at big time discounts and all of the beauty brands offer value sets and exclusives that you won’t find anywhere else. You can shop the sale online and in-store from now until August 2, so let’s check out the specials that matter most; cosmetics.

Estee Lauder 

Their super popular Pure Gloss collection is introducing 4 limited-edition shades just for this sale. Creative Director Tom Pecheux whipped up his favorite colors for the season, the ones he uses most in his personal kit for fashion shows and photo shoots. ($18)

Lauder is also having a free gift with purchases over $29.50, it’s a 7-piece set valued at $100.

Chanel

Everyone loves a Chanel shadow quad. I might have to get these shades of matte and shimmery wet/dry shadows because I love the flair they gave to otherwise neutral shades. ($65)

Dior

This ‘Ready-to-Wear’ Palette packs a lot of color into such a small space.  It includes 4 shadows, 2 lip glosses, 1 blush, a 3 tone bronzer, and 3 mini applicators in wearable shades to flatter most skin tones.

Deborah Lippmann

Looks like nail color goes from summer subtle to glittery glam this fall. Lippmann’s All That Jazz set includes the new, fun shades Razzle Dazzle, Some Enchanted Evening, and Lady Sings the Blues. ($40)

Bobbi Brown

This ‘Must Haves’ collection will be a hit with Bobbi Brown lovers because it’s so quintessential Bobbi. The set includes a 5 piece shadow palette with a dual ended brush, full sized Everything mascara, Ultrafine Eyeliner Brush (love), full sized Caviar gel liner, full sized Brownie lip color, and a Pink Blossom lip gloss. All told the set is valued at $150, but it’s a steal at $75.

Trish McEvoy

Add a little petite planner to your Trish planner collection. Her ‘Naturally Irresistible Collection’ includes a petite page for the mini planner with their new Warming Brightening Quad, 4 new shadow shades, black eye pencil, and Nude Shimmer gloss. ($95)

Laura Mercier

I might have to get Mercier’s Portable Beauty Collection just for the bag. They included their most popular shades into a split-pans for cheeks and eyes giving you 2 eye and 2 cheek colors. You also get a dual ended gloss, Long Lash mascara and dual-ended brush.

Every beauty line is offering something, these are just a few. You’ll find a complete listing of beauty exclusives and gift with purchases HERE

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