I’ve long been a fan of Elizabeth Arden High Shine Lip Gloss and am loving their newest shade, Tropicoral ($15). A nude coral with flecks of gold, it’s the perfect springtime hue.  But if you’re more of lipstick gal rather than a glosser, their new Ceramide Ultra Lipsticks ($16) bestow brilliant colors and are infused with Volulip, an advanced peptide complex with intensive moisturizing abilities that also plump the lips.  Ah, the beauty of science!  I had the great fortune of catching up with Elizabeth Arden’s celebrity makeup artist Brett Freedman, who hand selected a shade to compliment my olive complexion.  Brett selected Flame, a sheer, golden red that works well with my coloring since it is a warmer bright with a touch of gold.  Needless to say, I love it!

Tropicoral High Shine Lip Gloss and Ceramide Ultra Lipstick in Flame

Check out the entire spring collection at shop.elizabetharden.com.

Stay tuned for more on how to apply the perfect bold lip from Elizabeth Arden’s celebrity makeup artist Brett Freedman!

Images courtesy of: Shop.ElizabethArden.com.

In a city of skyscrapers, I often find myself cramped into crowded elevators with women wearing offensive and overpowering scents.  Thankfully, Jo Malone, the fragrance authority, and her light, airy and versatile limited-edition Tea Fragrance Blends have ushered the fragrance category into a whole new era. A truly modern take on scent, they epitomize elegance and sophistication, and what’s more, they’re actually designed to be layered and combined for a greater, more enticing variety (without overpowering).   Available in five scents- Assam & Grapefruit, Earl Grey & Cucumber, Fresh Mint Leaf, Sweet Lemon, and Sweet Milk- each one heightens style and femininity.  Accustomed to having to pick a favorite fragrance, I felt torn (and a tad anxious) at first, but remembered that her fragrances are meant to be blended, and I don’t have to settle for just one.  A mood lifter and style augmenter, Jo Malone’s fragrances are the ultimate accessory.

Tea Fragrance Blends:

Assam & Grapefruit Cologne: Invigorating and upbeat, captures the qualities of that first cup of morning tea. Refreshing grapefruit and herbaceous Assam are blended with undertones of warm patchouli, spicy cardamom and almond.

Jo Malone Fragrance Combining Tip:  Add a creamy richness with a splash of Sweet Milk to deepen and sweeten the scent of black tea.

Earl Grey & Cucumber Cologne: A playful twist on the British tradition of high tea distilled into a modern, intriguing scent. Fresh and fruity bergamot is cooled with cucumber and warmed with a base of beeswax, vanilla and musk.

Jo Malone Fragrance Combining Tip: Refresh and uplift by layering with zesty Sweet Lemon.

Fresh Mint Leaf Cologne: A refreshing tisane of freshly picked mint, translated into a crisp, clear cologne.  A blend of mint, basil and maté infuses this cologne with a green, leafy clarity, while a warm base is created by the partnership of cedarwood with musk.

Jo Malone Fragrance Combining Tip: Think pretty and fresh by adding a mist of zesty, fruit-infused Sweet Lemon.

Sweet Lemon Cologne: Mirroring the custom of adding a slice of freshly-cut lemon or a sprinkle of sugar to a cup of just-brewed tea, Sweet Lemon is given a fruity twist with pineapple, peach and fresh green cypress.

Sweet Milk Cologne: Utterly English, a dash of sweet, creamy milk gives tea a rounded richness. The unique milk accord combines star anise, almond and vanilla to create a warm, comforting scent. Addictively sweet and unexpectedly fresh.

These limited-edition scents launched this month, so test them out for yourself!  They’re available for $55 at any of the following retailers: Jo Malone Shops, jomalone.com, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom and Bloomindales.  Enjoy!

Images courtesy of: Jo Malone

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Gentle Exfoliating Facial Scrub: So gentle, yet so effective.  For lack of a better saying, after just one use my face felt as soft as a baby’s bottom! $10, Drugstore.com

Obagi ELASTILash: I’m sick of having “lash nubs” and have been dying to try Latisse, but it’s a little out of my price range.  At $37 a pop, thank goodness for ELASTILash.  I don’t have results to report yet, but will be sure to share shortly.  $37, Obagi.com

Calvin Klein Beauty: Love, love, love this scent!  It’s soft, florally and very feminine…(and it’s full-size!) $85, theperfumespot.com

Dalton Colour Crème Lip Gloss: Gorgeous nude shade with a smooth, richy, creamy consistency sans stickiness.  Glides on-oh-so easily for a flawless application! QVC.com

CEW Beauty Award winners will be announced in May, so stay tuned for the list!

Images courtesy of: indulgentbeautyreviews.com, beautycheap.com, thebeautyreviewexpress.com, daltoncosmetics.com

For a peachy-perfect manicure, try CND’s limited edition Perfectly Bare Colour, a porcelain crème, and layer it with the limited-edition CND Perfectly Bare Shimmer Effect for a kiss of texture.

(CND’s limited edition Perfectly Bare Colour and Perfectly Bare Shimmer Effect, $9-$11, CND.com)

To achieve the “Halo Manicure,” as seen on the runway at Behnaz Sarafpour’s S/S ‘11 show, try CND Perfectly Bare Colour with CND Silver Chrome Colour edged along the perimeter for a mysterious, heavenly border.

“Halo Manicure” with chrome edges

At the Marc Jacobs and Marc by Marc Jacobs S/S ’11 shows, flawlessly fresh manicures were all the rage and were a result of Perfectly Bare Colour mixed with CND Super Matte Top Coat for a warm, satin matte finish. Ahhh, GORGEOUS!

Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring 2011

Which shades are you most excited to wear this spring?!

Photographs courtesy of: CND

Always on the quest for the next best thing and sick of using my dried up tube of Lash Blast Fusion, I ventured over to Sephora and held a stake out next to the endcap adorned with Sephora’s best selling mascaras. I thought back to my days as a Sephora “cast member,” and remembered a fellow employee raving about Fresh Supernova mascara. I tested the product and made the purchase as quickly as it had taken for me to fall in love, about 30 seconds.

Here are the reasons why I love it just so darn much:

1.) No more dry, unwanted spider lashes! The formula is incredibly glossy so lashes always looks soft and conditioned.

2.) If you don’t like drama, need not apply. The lengthening and volumizing effect is out of this world!

3.) Instant eye brightener. This is one of the darkest mascaras I’ve used and the jet-black color really intensifies eye color.

** I also found a cheaper alternative to my Holy Grail mascara primer, Lancome Cils Booster XL ($22), and that is Sephora “Tricks of the Trade” Perfecting Lash Primer ($14). It creates just as much intensity, but for $8 less!

Let your lashes make a statement while making your eyes look bigger and incredibly brighter.  With all of the (undeserved) hoopla over YSL’s new Volume Effet Faux Cils Luxurious mascara and Dior’s DiorShow Black Out mascara, Fresh Supernova may be one of the beauty industry’s best-kept secrets!

Images courtesy of: Sephora.com

All you need to know are three words, “YSL Perfect Touch”.

YSL is to true to their word as out of the hundreds of foundations I have tried over the years (literally), this is the smoothest, most flawless, easy-to-use, most perfect formula ever.  Intended to give you a “baby-soft” complexion through a combination of moisturizing sugars and radiance boosting pigments, the PORE-LESS, BLEMISH-FREE result makes it look as though you applied a loose powder over the foundation to achieve true complexion perfection.  Against your facialist’s wishes, the radiant satiny-finish will make it virtually impossible for you to keep your hands away from your face.

After applying “Perfect Touch” and having the luminous complexion of your dreams become a welcomed reality, take it one step further with YSL’s Touche Eclat.  A versatile highlighter pen, it can brighten, offer coverage and provide a more lifted, youthful appearance.

Why tamper with perfection?  Get your YSL “Perfect Touch” foundation and Touche Eclat pen today!

Get runway ready with YSL beauty

Images courtesy of: momist.com; fabsugar.co.uk; ellemagazine.co.za; cosmeticsarcade.com; christietheshopaholic.blogspot.com

Lancome Holiday Lip & Cheek Palette in Plum Irresistible

I am border-line obsessed with Lancome’s Holiday Eye & Cheek Palette.  With everything from the luxurious and functional packaging to a gorgeous range of shadows and a beautifully pigmented blush, what more could a girl ask for?  I recently purchased the palette in “Plum Irresistible” for myself, and in “Nude Seduction” for my mom.  “Plum Irresistible” has six wondrous eye shadow shades all in the plum family, which make my naturally hazel eyes look fiercely green.  They are a combo of matte and shimmer, and together or alone, I love them all!  As for the blush, although I already have about 30 different shades in my bulging makeup chest, for this one, I’ll definitely make room.  I quickly brushed this color onto the apples of my cheeks in the morning just as I was dashing out the door to catch the train.  When I got to work and looked in the bathroom mirror, I was head over heels.  This plum-colored blush was a match made in heaven for my olive skin tone.

The packaging for this product could not be more perfect.  In my opinion, there are so many brands out there that just don’t get how to package a palette.  Although I won’t mention any names, I am so sick of finding beautiful shadows or lip shades in packaging that look and feel so cheap they might as well be for a child’s play set.  Thankfully, Lancome has driven me back to sanity.  The packaging is heavier and sturdier, with a beautiful purple cushion on top to provide functionality (just in case you drop it, gasp!) and to add to the luxe experience.

Get this limited-edition palette before it’s too late!

images courtesy of: joseibi.com