Beauty – Page 36 – Forty, Flirty & Fabulous

Hot New Product — Hourglass Aura Sheer Cheek Stain

I have been excited to try Hourglass’s new Aura Sheer Cheek Stain ($45.00 USD). I have seen ads for it for the last few weeks, and it is even a featured new product on the Sephora website.

So does it live up to the hype, you ask? I think so.

The Aura Cheek Stain is a water-based stain that give cheeks a subtle lit-from-within glow and to last all day. Spring makeup is about looking effortlessly beautiful, and this product embodies this by being so easy to apply. Aura’s unique click mechanism dispenses the perfect amount of product for convenient on-the-go application, and has a sponge applicator which makes it easy to blend.

This product is enriched with Vitamin E to help improve skin’s moisture retention and is free of oil, fragrance, and phthalates. Available in three shades: Rouge (sheer rose); Flush (sheer red); Petal (sheer pink/coral shimmer). I have tested Petal and love the color. It is a soft pinky coral with a subtle shimmer. Anti-aging tip: pinks and corals are perfect for us women who want to look younger. A soft flush is extremely youthful. Pinks and corals are also perfect as a lip gloss for a younger-looking pout!

This blush is currently available at www.sephora.com and www.hourglasscosmetics.com.

Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil Collection

Argan Oil is currently my favorite ingredient for hair care. It makes hair shiny and manageable without it being greasy. I especially like argan oil treatments. I know that oil in hair can be scary, but if you put the right amount in, you get incredible shine and softness!

Organix has recently come out with an affordable Argan Oil Collection that includes the following benefits:

Sulfate and Paraben Free
Organic Active Ingredients
Amazing Scents
Safe For Color-Treated Hair
Safe for All Hair Types

The products in the collection are:

Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo & Conditioner ($7.99 USD) — Indulge the senses with this precious blend of Moroccan argan oil which instantly penetrates the hair shaft restoring shine and softness while strengthening. This renewing formula is free of sulfates and parabens, and is safe for color-treated hair. Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner will restore moisture to dry hair, protect from styling heat and UV damage while creating soft, seductive, silky perfection

Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil Penetrating Oil ($7.99 USD) — This rare, ultra light weight formula is nature’s secret to silky perfection! Derived from the southwest region of Morocco, argan oil instantly penetrates the hair shaft to seal in shine and protect from styling heat and UV damage. Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil Penetrating Oil fights frizz, strengthens and moisturizes dry, brittle hair to give you smooth sexy tresses.

Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil Renewing Treatment ($7.99 USD) — Renew your hair’s inner health with argan oil nutrients, antioxidants, and vitamin E. Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil Renewing Treatment is a deep conditioning, exotic formula to add brilliant shine and create lush softness without leaving any heavy residue which can weigh hair down.

These are great products for the price. Visit www.organixhair.com to learn more and you can purchase at drugstores and mass market retailers

China Glaze Crackle — The Hot New Nail Trend de Jour!

Looking for the hot new nail trend for 2011? Two-toned nails with a “crackled” top coat, is the it thing right now. And you can do it yourself with China Glaze Crackle polish (8.00 USD)! China Glaze brings a whole new level to the game with “Crackle” polish! Create endless edgy looks and make a statement with fun, fearless, color. Everyone has asked for it, and now China Glaze is giving it to them! The six different Crackle colors include:

Lightning Bolt – White Crackle
Black Mesh – Black Crackle
Broken Hearted – Pink Crackle
Cracked Concrete – Grey Crackle
Fault Line – Purple Crackle
Crushed Candy – Teal Crackle

An innovative technology allows you to play with a wide array of color combinations and achieve an edgy, new wave look. This unique formula was developed to give your nails a “crackled” design over traditional nail color. Contrasting colors are used one over another to achieve a deconstructed shatter look that takes place right before your eyes. Instant art for your nails!

How do you do it? It’s easy! Apply your favorite China Glaze glitter, shimmer or crème. Depending on the color you are using, apply either one or two coats for full coverage. When the colored enamel is dry, brush on a thin layer of the Crackle color. Allow the Crackle to work its magic during dry time. After approximately 5 minutes when the crackled design has completely formed, apply a top coat to seal the design for prolonged wear.

I applied China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint (a soft mint green from the Up and Away collection), let it dry completely, and applied Cracked Concrete over it. It works almost like magic as it shatters apart right before your eyes! Once that dried, I applied a top coat to seal the look. It lasted almost a week! Remember to apply a thin coat so it cracks apart easier. This is a really cool look, not too office friendly (unless you work at a casual office like I do), but perfect for night out!

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

New V05 Perfect Hold Styling Products

With gas prices rising, I am on the lookout for affordable beauty products. If you want hair styling products that work well and are extremely affordable, try V05 Perfect Hold Styling Line. This line consists of 4 different products are formulated with a unique polymer blend that assures long-lasting, all-day hold and a lightweight feel. The products in the line are:Perfect Hold Aerosol Hairspray — This lightweight aerosol hairspray is formulated with a select blend of polymers to provide strong hold while still leaving hair feeling healthy.

Perfect Hold Non-Aerosol Hairspray — This non-aerosol hair spray has a multi-polymer system known for benchmark levels of humidity resistance, providing strong hold while leaving hair feeling soft.

Perfect Hold Styling Mousse — This mousse prevents frizz and holds curl in place with it’s unique multi-polymer system, while giving hair the bounce and shine it deserves.

Perfect Hold Styling Gel — This gel is formulated from a base designed for simplicity to provide great styling hold without stiffness, even in humidity.

These product each retail for $2.00 USD — which is phenomenal for the quality you get. The non-aerosol hairspray is my favorite because it imparts a shine and leaves my hair soft. The gel also gibes great shine and the mousse is perfect for curly girls. Plus, the scent is very nice — my teenage daughter took the aerosol hairspray and uses it over expensive hairsprays that she owns because of the great scent!

These products are available at drugstores and mass-market retailers near you. Enjoy the savings!

Great For Traveling — Lavanila Fragrances

Looking for a great, portable fragrance? Lavanila Laboratories presents the Healthy Fragrance Collection in two pretty, portable, and airplane friendly renditions—The Healthy Roller Ball Fragrance and The Healthy Fragrance One-Ounce Collection. Completely free of harsh chemicals typically found in fragrance, now you can enjoy Lavanila’s fresh, clean blends and revel in powerful, skin-healthy ingredients anytime, anywhere.

Lavanila has changed the way we spray and roll on fragrance with the World’s First Healthy Fragrance collection. The first to fuse luxury fragrance with natural science, all Lavanila scents are free of chemically-laden alcohol, petrochemicals, phthalates, synthetic colors, silicone, synthetic preservatives, sulfates, parabens, and propylene glycol that can dry and damage the skin and are instead formulated with 100% natural ingredients such as pure essential oils and skin soothing botanicals. With each spray or roll, a daily dose of 30 essential vitamins and minerals and 19 amino acids is delivered to the skin and locked below the skin’s epidermis via an exclusive marine technology.

Lavanila Healthy Roller Ball Fragrance ($19 each): Housed in a sleek, spill-proof bottle, this travel-sized roller-ball perfume eliminates the risk of spills—a must for any purse or cosmetics case.

Lavanila Healthy Fragrance One-Ounce Collection ($39 each): These cute and convenient minis fit in your carry-on cosmetics case so you never have to be without your favorite Lavanila fragrances, even on the plane.

The Lavanila Healthy Roller Ball Fragrance and One Ounce Fragrances are available in the following scents:

Pure Vanilla: a soothing blend of rich Madagascar vanilla and soft freesia
Vanilla Grapefruit: a refreshing blend of pink grapefruit and warm Madagascar vanilla
Vanilla Coconut: an exotic blend of fresh coconut oil, tiare flower and warm Madagascar vanilla
Vanilla Lavender: a tranquil blend of Spanish lavender, rose absolute, violet leaf, and warm Madagascar vanilla

I have tried the Healthy Fragrance One-Ounce in Vanilla Coconut. I love the sweet, tropical scent that has a warm lasting note. Very nice!

You can purchase these fab fragrances at Sephora, www.sephora.com and www.lavanila.com. Enjoy!

Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balms

New lip balm alert! Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm ($7.00 USD) — Care for your lips with beautiful, sheer color. These new tinted balms give you a hint of color with a soft, sweet flavor and natural ingredients that moisturize and condition your lips. Available in six flirty shades – Hibiscus, Honeysuckle, Tiger Lily, Pink Blossom, Red Dahlia and Rose.

The main ingredient is shea butter. This natural fat obtained from the fruit of the karite tree is a valuable, nourishing addition to moisturizers for the reduction of wrinkles and to improve the elasticity of the skin and protect it against environmental aging.

What I think: I like these balms. They are very moisturizing and have a sweet taste. They also impart a soft color, like a light stain. The great thing about Burt’s Bees is that you can feel good about using these all-natural products.

You can purchase these at www.burtsbees.com and at drugstores and mass market retailers near you. Enjoy!

Resurface Your Skin At Home With New Products From Olay

Always on the look out for ways to make my 40 something skin look fabulous, I have been using this one-two punch from Olay at night for a few weeks. The products are the Olay Professional Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System and the Olay Regenerist Advanced Anti-Aging Moisturize Night Resurfacing Elixir. They are from two different Olay lines, but they work together to help aging skin look younger and glowy. The products are:

Olay Professional Pro-X Advanced Cleansing System ($29.99 USD) — This includes a battery-powered brush with bristles that rotate to cleanse the skin deeply plus Pro-X Exfoliating Renewal Cleanser. Designed by a team of dermatologists along with Olay, the Advanced Cleansing System claims to be as effective as a system sold by skin professionals for nearly $200.

I have not tried the higher end systems (like the Clarisonic), but I really do like this one. I have used it with the Exfoliating Renewal Cleanser and with other cleansers as well. To use, dampen facial skin and brush head lightly with water. Dispense cleanser in your hand and massage over face. Turn on cleansing brush and gently move around the face for approximately 60 seconds. Avoid the eye area. Rinse face and brush head with water. After cleansing, skin is soft and so clean!

After cleansing, I apply Olay Regenerist Advanced Anti-Aging Moisturize Night Resurfacing Elixir. What does it do?

When applied each night, the non-greasy, fast-absorbing formula with glycolic acid works over a normal sleep cycle to give you uninterrupted exfoliation while antioxidants and moisturizers continuously provide soothing hydration to tighten skin’s surface
Light glycolic peel resurfaces skin nightly for tighter, smoother skin

This treatment is a great daily exfoliater and is easy because it does its work while you are sleeping! I have noticed that my skin is tighter and my skin tone is more even. I have very sensitive skin and it makes my skin a little red, but doesn’t irritate. When I wake up in the morning, my skin looks brighter and smoother.

The combo of a good cleansing and nighttime treatment has really started to improve my skin. Olay is always introducing technologically advance products at really affordable prices. So go ahead and try these. Visit www.olay.com to learn more and you can purchase at drugstores and mass market retailers near you. Enjoy!

Brighten Up With a Little Gloss, Blush and Bronzer This Spring With Hard Candy

This Spring there are a lot of fun and glamorous collections of color cosmetics debuting. I have reviewed a lot of them and plan to review more! The thing is that most of them are available at department stores and they are fairly spendy. The solution? Hard Candy is available at Walmart — and it is cool and affordable.

Hard Candy’s spring line includes lots of skin brightening blushes and bronzers and really fun glitter lip glosses. The products I tried are:

Glossaholic – Sequin Saturated Shine Lip Gloss ($5.00 USD) — One dip covers your lips! Ginormous applicator with gloss cup deposits gloss to your whole mouth in one swipe! These super lustrous lip glosses are infused with prisms of color that make lips appear fuller and plumper. Out of this world hyper-reflective prisms of pearl make lips sparkle like crazy! Feeling tired or wired? Two Glossaholic sparkling clear top coats are infused with mood altering elixirs to help you Chill Out or Rise & Shine! – You can wear alone or as a top coat.

Glow All the Way – Instant Bronzer & Gradual Self-Tanner ($8.00 USD) — Improve your tanitude! A tinted, sunless self-tanner that gives you an all over Tropical Tan. The light, airy formula instantly bronzes face and body while the self tanner gradually builds a lasting tan that darkens with time. This light and airy formula moisturizes and will not streak or rub off onto clothes. Infused with 24 carat gold!

Fox in a Box – bronzing duos & blushing quads ($6.00 USD) — A highly pigmented multi-color powder compact that will surely bring out your inner foxy lady. Each box contains coordinated shades that blend together perfectly and a custom Hard Candy applicator brush. Sweep across chin, cheeks, and forehead and unleash the foxiness in you! This is such a cute box and the shades are gorgeous!

Visit www.hardcandy.com to see the shade selections and you can purchase at Walmart and www.walmart.com.

Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm Introduces New Flavors!

Lip balms are awesome — but lip balms with SPF are even better. Not only are you moisturizing, but you are protecting your delicate lip area. Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balms ($7.50 USD) have a whopping SPF 25 that helps protect from sun and wind!

Enriched with superior lip conditioners and antioxidants, these emollient balms calm, protect and relieve dry, chapped, irritated lips. Unlike waxy sticks, the unique formulas penetrate quickly to provide instant relief.

Flavors include:

New! Black Tea & Blackberry – Smooth and subtly sweet with powerful antioxidants

New! Grapefruit & Ginger – Fresh, subtly citrus and energizing

Lemon & Chamomile – Mellow and refreshing to calm and soothe

Natural Mint & Shea Butter – Clean and tingly to freshen breath

Vanilla & Lavender – Herbal, soothing and healing

I have tried the Lemon & Chamomile, which smells fresh and soothing. And it feels so smooth on and it is not greasy, which a lot of cream balms can be. I think this is a great buy — the product is definitely worth the price!

Availability: Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm is available at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Sephora, Saks Fifth Avenue and at www.getjackblack.com. Enjoy!

Kate Somerville Nourish Daily Moisturizer

Looking for an anti-aging moisturizer that is gentle for every day use? It is so important that skin is kept hydrated as we get older and Kate Somerville Nourish Daily Moisturizer ($65.00 USD) is a light but very moisturizing cream. This product contains:

Matrixyl™3000 & retinyl palmitate, clinically proven to rapidly diminish the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles
Encourages collagen production
Rich in antioxidants, shields skin from free-radicals
Light feel, absorbs quickly & leaves skin balanced, fresh & healthy

I have being using this moisturizer for a few weeks and I love how it feels on my skin. It leaves my face soft and not greasy at all. I also love the fresh, herbal scent that the cream imparts. I have noticed that my skin looks smoother and brighter. Plus, it does not irritate my sensitive skin.

Visit www.katesomerville.com to learn more and to purchase this and many other great products!