With the thousands of nail polish shades on the market, you’d think they would have already covered every unique color imaginable. But this new shade from Essie is so cool and so different, it is truly distinctive – which is why I am officially enrolled in the School of Hard Rocks! Out of there Winter 2011 Cocktail collection and defined as “midnight malachite,” this is a hue that certainly attracts attention.
I wore it for the Monika Chiang event in Los Angeles, and my fingertips actually kind distracted people from everything else. Everyone just kept asking me about my nails!
How do I describe this mystique-heavy shade of lacquer? It is a cross between cement-like gray and sage green with a hint of blue. It picks up any green you’re wearing, but it’s completely neutral when you’re not. At the same time, this hue a perfect complement to blue, taking on a warm gray tone – very fitting for winter, yet not so deep and dark as to be melancholy. It is my new secret color. Well, not anymore. After garnering so much interest I had to share! At Essie for $8.
Name me one woman who doesn’t dream of longer, thicker eyelashes, and I’ll name you a fibber! And many of us go to extraordinary measures to get them. I tried lash extensions five years ago, and it did not end well. Half of my eyelashes were destroyed and it took years for them to fully restore. I have been frightened of extensions ever since. But since technology and techniques have greatly improved, I decided to try again. However, this time I made an appointment with the renowned makeup artist and lash guru, Juliana Landis of Beverly Hills Lashes in LA.
Juliana used real mink hairs on me, in lengths ranging from 9 to 11mm. Although there were many options, such as synthetic mink hairs (which are blacker and thicker), I preferred the natural quality of real mink. They do look very natural. And they are so lightweight I don’t feel like I have anything on! I just love waking up with a full set of luxurious lashes. Juliana truly is the lash expert. She explained how to care for them, since you do want them to last (at most, two to three months). They get a treatment called “Lash Food,” plus a supplement called Biotin that nourishes lashes from within.
It’s quite addictive having fluttery eyelashes, but unfortunately, the expert recommends that you let your own lashes rest for six weeks every few months. During that time, layer on your favorite mascaras so people don’t wonder, what happened?!
A full set of Siberian mink lashes, $450-$500. Inquire at Juliana Landis for details.
Come the holidays many of us fall off the bandwagon when it comes to eating healthfully, so why not make-up for the lack of steamed veggies and fresh fruits in our diet by indulging in superfood-based skincare? Hey, it can’t hurt, right!? Dr. Nicholas Perricone encourages beauty from the inside out and from the outside in, which is why he took his vast knowledge of superfoods and antioxidants and applied it topically with his Super line. Now, for holiday 2011, he’s come out with a limited edition value kit called Wrinkle Protection ($85 – $135 value). I’ve been using it for the last few weeks and it comes with three full-size products: Firming Activator, Crinkle Eraser (day cream), and Night Recharge (night cream). The key ingredient is astaxanthin, which is the moisture-retaining antioxidant found in red algae so I was surprised that I didn’t find the day or the night cream to be particularly moisturizing. In fact, I had to follow each of them up with a moisturizing cream! The Firming Activator isn’t particularly moisturizing either, but it helps make the day and night creams more effective if you prep skin with it first.
While you shouldn’t expect this kit to drench skin in moisture it does help smooth out your skin. I’ve been having a stressful few weeks and there have been a few times when I’ve looked at myself in the mirror at the end of the day and scared myself! The night cream (which, for the most part, I used in combination with an 8-hour moisturizing cream from Elizabeth Arden), helped smooth out my stressed skin, so in terms of tackling fine lines and an overall haggered look, it’s definitely a winner. The products have a lemon-y scent and absorb fairly quickly. Also, I love that they come packaged with a removable top that you pop into the sealed bottle so you know no one has sampled the product before you use it (I’m always worried about that when I buy something at Sephora!).
I’d definitely use Super Night Recharge again, but for a day cream I rather have something with an SPF 15 this time of year and I would have been happier had the kit come with a moisturizer rather than a toner, but it’s still a good deal especially if you don’t have dry skin.
All products can be purchased individually as well -
Super by Dr. Nicholas Perricone Firming Activator, $38
Super by Dr. Nicholas Perricone Super Night Recharge with Red Algae, $50
Su per by Dr. Nicholas Perricone Crinkle Eraser, $48
Just last week I was enamored with Kate Hudson’s loose, tumbling bun. Now I’m sensing a pattern when it comes to gravity-defying hairdos. Irreverent, youthful, and just a little haphazard, the messy topknot takes the ballerina out of the bun and gives it a modern spin. In recent months, celebs from all walks of glamour have given the loosened, high-riding chignon a whirl, so now it’s up to you to determine who wears it best.
Blake Lively has tousled, sun-kissed locks down to an art form, and her lightly teased bun is no exception; it matches the touchabl