Ooh La La! Leonor Greyl Huile de Palme

I've never been a VO5 girl. I remember seeing the ads in high school, wondering why on earth would I want to put oil in my hair? Well, during my visit to Paris last year I had a treatment at an amazing spa, and the oil did wonders for my hair. It was soft, I lost split ends and I had amazing volume. But, I honestly haven't repeated the treatments because the multi-step process seems time consuming and annoying to complete at home.

Fall Shopping Temptations and Celebrate 15 Years of InStyle!

InStyle is definitely one of my favorite magazines. I love that while they do show celebs, they also focus quite a bit on making style (whether fashion, beauty or home decor) easy and accessible for everyone with their hints and product picks. I really think they are often spot on with their style forcasts.

This year marks their 15th anniversary. Yes, somehow it has already been 15 years! To celebrate, they're launching a great site, InStyle 15 for Fall. You will want to run to this site so go ahead and start opening it in a new tab or another window right now.

Why is this site so great? Because of how much stuff they've packed into it.
• Enter to win a $1000 Shopping Spree
• InStyle Editors have picked this year's 15 Must Have Items
• Best of all, InStyle has worked with a big number of retailers to offer Special Discounts! Check them out, chances are that something you've had your eye one will be eligible. I'm going to start posting my shopping picks again (part of the whole 2 blog merger, blah blah blah), and I'll be sure to link back to this page when items qualify!

InStyle 15 for Fall

Philosophy Kiss Me Tonight

Even product junkies like me get stuck in a rut. I use the same lip balm every night when I go to sleep. I love it and wasn't looking to shake things up at all. Then I tried this great balm from Philosophy. It is incredibly hydrating, has a light sweet and slightly minty at first flavor. It lasts for hours and definitely leaves my lips incredibly soft. As an added bonus, I found both Vitamin A and Retinyl Palmitate listed in the ingredients.

While I'm not going to change up my night time routine (in part because I have a huge amount of my normal Kiehl's #1 Lip Balm), this is a great change of pace and I'll likely reach for it quite a bit in the future.



Ingredients:
ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, hydrogenated polyisobutene, glycerin, bis-diglyceryl polyacyladipate-2, copernicia cerifera (carnauba) wax, olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, fragrance/parfum, beeswax/cera alba/cire d'abeille, euphorbia cerifera (candelilla) wax, c18-38 alkyl hydroxystearoyl stearate, hydrogenated castor oil, c12-16 alcohols, irvingia gabonensis kernel butter, octyldodecanol, dipalmitoyl hydroxyproline, hydrogenated coco-glycerides, tocopheryl acetate, beta vulgaris (beet) root extract, melia azadirachta leaf extract, palmitic acid, retinyl palmitate, eclipta prostrata extract, moringa pterygosperma oil, hydrogenated lecithin, benzyl benzoate, limonene, phenoxyethanol.
Philosophy Kiss Me Tonight

World's Fastest Liquid Liner: L'Oreal's Extra Intense Eye Liner

I love the look of a liquid eye liner as much as the next girl. But, I refuse to spend 20 minutes putting it on every morning (especially when I only allot myself 15 minutes to style my hair and apply makeup!) So, when I heard about L'Oreal's newest pencil eye liner, I knew I had to try it out for myself.

A Lazy Girl's Friend: Clean and Clear Makeup Dissolving Wipes

I can be a lazy, lazy girl. I'm sure that everyone is like this, but I'm just willing to admit it on the internet. I sometimes don't want to wash my face before I go to bed. And if I don't feel like it then I likely just won't do it. But, my skin definitely suffers around those times, so I try not to do it to often. So, in the interest of getting makeup off of my face easily and quickly (and therefore allowing me to stumble into bed in 30 seconds rather than 3 minutes), I started stocking my bathroom with makeup wipes. Mind you, these are products that I only use about once a week, but over time I've noticed that they are definitely not all created equal. Hence, I'm going to start gradually reviewing these as well.

Estée Lauder Fall 2009 Eye Shadows

I've already mentioned some of the Estée Lauder Fall 2009 Sensuous Gold Collection, today I wanted to show you the eye quads.

Clinique's Sun Protection, My Summer Secret

Last summer I tested a rather large collection of sunscreens. I toted them around with me and kept copious notes about the feel and weight of the sunscreen.

Skindinavia Makeup Finishing Spray

In this summer's Beauty Fix shipment I found a bottle of Skindinavia Makeup Finishing Spray. While I had never heard of it before it showed up in my house, it has suddenly popped up everywhere from Allure, the Today Show and even as a "free bonus with order" from many of my favorite internet stores.

Have Questions about at Home Hair Color?

So, in a few short weeks I'm going to New York for a beauty blogging event. When there I'll be at a L'Oreal seminar, and they want to know what questions readers have about at home hair color! So, send them in via the "contact" button above (It will take you to my e-mail address), or leave a comment. I'll need to send in the info by Monday.
Thanks!

Do You Like Oatmeal Raisin?

In my "normal" job, I'm a doctor. I'm not just any kind of doctor, I'm a pediatrician. So, I spend a lot of time around sick kids. Let me tell you, even though I see my fair share of tragedy in my ICU (I'm actually a critical care doctor too), the subspecialty that I could never spend a lot of time in is Oncology. The kids getting their chemo and not complaining.... truly it's heart breaking. They're fighting so hard, and while a lot more of them win those fights now than 20 or 30 years ago, there are too many still losing.

Pediatric research is insanely hard to perform and to fund. Most of the money goes to adult studies. Trust me, kids are not just little adults. So, there is a grassroots movement to help, Cookies for Kids' Cancer.

From August 15th – October 15th philosophy will be donating 100% of the net proceeds of their oatmeal raisin high foaming shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. This organization was created to raise awareness of and funds to support research for new and improved therapies for pediatric cancer through the concept of hosting local bake sales.

So, if you like Oatmeal Raisin cookies as much as I do, pick up a bottle! This 3 in 1 product is one of my favorite bath gels.

Philosophy's Oatmeal Raisin 3 in 1 gel
Cookies for Kids' Cancer

Can a Deodorant Reduce Your Shaving Time? Dove's Visibly Smooth

Most women (Americans at least) are none too fond of underarm hair, and we will do almost anything to get rid of it. While most celebs have theirs permanently removed with lasers and other (more painful) methods, we mere mortals usually have to resort to shaving.

So, when Dove announced Visibly Smooth, I was pretty excited. They said this deodorant would help reduce the appearance of underarm hair over time. What did I hear? It will make the hair go away. I had to try it! Especially since in the past my "go to" deodorant for in between product testings is the Dove Go Fresh solid.

So, the real story is that this deodorant doesn't make the hair grow any slower or get rid of it. Actually, the "active" ingredient is the Pro-Epil complex, which according to Dove is a "mixture of many ingredients, including natural extracts like sunflower oil, and Dove 1/4 translucent moisturizers." They say that over time the ingredients work to make the hair less obvious so that it is easier to shave and that you will need to shave less often. This will take anywhere from weeks to months. While this isn't what I was expecting, it is actually what they claimed. I was just so excited about the idea of less shaving that I dramatically increased what this product can do in my head. And, I'm not alone. A few of my friends have done this as well after seeing the commercials.

After all that hype, how does this deodorant work? Truthfully, I'll be going back to my Dove Go Fresh as an intermediary product for now. Visibly Smooth Solid works just fine as an "everyday" deodorant. It didn't get all over my clothes, dried quickly and did keep me dry. However, when doing anything more taxing or when in the heat, this deodorant just couldn't keep up. As well, I found the Wild Rose scent to be pretty strong, overpowering my perfume for the first 2-3 hours every day.

So, overall it is fine as an everyday deodorant if you like the scent. Don't expect your underarm hair to just disappear, but maybe over a few months it might become "less noticeable".

Dove's Visibly Smooth

Clean & Clear Back to School Contest!

Amazing but true. Mere days after the last contest ended, I am hosting another! This contest is being sponsored by Clean and Clear, which is helpful as they want to give away a few products that I've been testing out myself and have been meaning to write about! So, enter the contest and stay tuned in the next few days as I review 2 Clean and Clear products (finally), and use those as shameless opportunities to remind you to enter!


Why is Clean & Clear willing to sponsor a contest? In part, it is to help promote The Lake, a new on-line television show on the WB that they are sponsoring. This show has 4 new episodes published every Monday. Directed by Jason Priestly (yes, Brandon Walsh), the show follows 2 best friends as they spend their summer at a lake resort. If you like One Tree Hill or Gossip Girl, you'll probably love this show!

This prize is pretty amazing! Included in this pack is everything you need to go back to school!
• Marc Jacobs tote (I'm not 100% sure which one, the picture the PR rep sent was a Marc by Marc Jacobs Tate Tote like the image I've shown here)
• Bendel’s Girl Notebook
• Jonathan Adler Pencil Case
• CLEAN & CLEAR® Morning Burst and Makeup Dissolving products


Because this is a sponsored contest, I am not sending out the prizes myself. They'll be coming from Clean & Clear. So, don't enter if you're not OK with me giving them your address. Open only to those in the US, and if you don't answer the e-mail I send you telling you that you won within 2 or 3 days I reserve the right to pick another winner.

A Lip Gloss Tragedy: Estée Lauder's Rose Gold

I had a lip gloss tragedy this weekend. I am now heart broken and must make a trip to my local Estée Lauder counter. Why?

I dropped my new Rose Gold.

This lip gloss is from the new Fall 2009 collection, Sensuous Gold. I have to be honest. I got a box from Estée Lauder's PR reps with most of the collection in it. I was excited as I opened the box (I'm not sure they've ever sent me the color collection before, and I am a big fan of their products). But, that was quickly changed by looking more closely at the products. I'm pretty cool toned, and with so much gold in this collection, I didn't think that anything would work for me.

Turns out I was wrong. Really, really wrong. The more I tried out this collection, the more I fell in love. The gold leanings of most of the colors didn't seem to make them more warm, if anything it seemed to warm up my cool (and super pale) complexion. I'll be posting more of my favorite items from this collection in the next week or so, but this lip gloss was my favorite.

The Pure Color Multi-Shimmer Gloss is amazing. It reminds me of those popsicles you tried when you were a kid, the rockets? With red white and blue, each a different flavor? This gloss does have three colors, all pretty close to each other and all with the same level of light shimmer. They blend together on the wand, but rather than becoming muddy they seem to add depth and look amazing once applied. On me, this light rose color was very natural though a bit darker than my own lips. The shimmer was enough to be pretty but not so much that it was tacky. The gloss felt hydrating, wasn't sticky and lasted for a few hours.

Overall, this gloss is a big keeper.

Now, my tragedy was that I dropped it in the driveway (oops!), causing the top to break off and lip gloss to leak out. Don't do that with your Rose Gold. I'll be making a trip to my local counter to pick up another one.

Check out the Rose Amethyst while you are there as well. That shade is a red color that seems to work for a lot of different skin tones and is easy to apply. Definitely a great way to do a quick and easy red lip.

Estée Lauder's Pure Color Multi-Shimmer Gloss in Rose Gold

Prebuy Lash Blast Length Mascara Today!

Cover Girl's Lash Blast is definitely one of my favorite volumizing mascaras. In September they will be releasing a new formulation of this product with nylon in the formula. This new lengthening formula promises lashes that are 80% longer that won't flake or break all day! I can't wait to get my hands on this mascara!

Sometime today a site over at Cover Girl will go live (it isn't there yet, but keep checking back) where you will be able to buy this mascara before it comes out! Hurry over and get yours!

Cover Girl Lash Blast Length Presale

Have a Skin Problem? Watch a Derm Video!

I've been getting random e-mails from a place called Derm TV for quite a while. I didn't really open any of them, they were part of the clutter of my inbox for the blog (I get about 80 e-mails a day for it now, I get easily overwhelmed and don't open, read or respond to most of them. I'm a bad e-mailer!)

But, a few days ago I opened a Derm TV e-mail and went to their site. I should have done this months ago!

It turns out that Derm TV is a site created by Dr. Neal Shultz, a pretty famous dermatologist. He offers a huge array of quick and easy videos about various skin issues. He gives you simple, easy to understand instructions and explanations and even offers links to buy products that will help with that problem. While the links are sometimes to expensive products, I've seen items from mass market brands like Neutrogena featured.

Derm TV

Bliss's The Youth As We Know It Concentrate

I love Bliss. While their products are a bit on the expensive side, in general I've found them to be straight forward and really work. I always feel pampered when using their products!

I received a bottle of this in my Beauty Fix, and I have to say that I was really happy to see it there since I'd been curious about this product. While billed as an anti-aging product, glancing at the list of ingredients I don't see any of the "typical" anti-aging ingredients that I'm usually looking for such as peptides or retinols.

What is present in the list are ingredients like sodium hyaluronate (a great moisturizer that can help hold moisture to the surface very well, helping to plump up the outer layer of the skin and smooth imperfections. The effect is temporary but it works). There are some extracts such as algae and yeast that usually contain anti-oxidants. I also see ingredients like Mica, which mostly act as light reflectors/diffusers. When such small pieces of mica are used rather than making you look shiny/shimmery, the mica will help reflect light away from imperfections which is something that I love. The ingredient list also contains hydroxy acids like salicylic acid, which help with cell turnover and increasing collagen production.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this product are the "Hydroplex3 encapsulators", which seem to be in several Bliss products. These are basically lysosomes, little bubbles of chemicals that penetrate down into your skin helping ingredients penetrate more deeply than they usually would or helping them to release at different times than they usually would. This product has moisturizing ingredients in the bubbles, helping to moisturize your skin over time rather than all at the time of application.

Having said all that, what did I think of this product? It's designed to either be used alone or with a second moisturizer if you need more moisture. For my combination skin in the middle of a hot summer I only needed this product, though in the winter I do think I would use another moisturizer over it. The lotion is very light and isn't thick. It has a light tan color and looks a little bit perlescent due to the pearl illuminators (aka- mica) in the lotion. It applies easily, absorbing quickly into skin without feeling heavy. I didn't notice a big difference in my skin immediately upon application (meaning, I was not obviously wearing a skin illuminator, which is a big bonus in my book), but I was nicely hydrated and I could easily apply makeup over this product. I didn't turn into a greasy mess and I do think that the product kept me nicely moisturized throughout the day which was great for my dry cheeks!

I did like this product and will likely use it again in the future. Just keep in mind that it is fairly light, so if you have dry skin or it is winter you might need a second moisturizer (preferably with a sunscreen) to use over it.




Ingredients:
water (aqua), cyclopentasiloxane, pentylene glycol, C12-15 alkyl benzoate, PPG-3 benzyl ether myristate, dimethicone/vinyltrimethylsiloxysilicate crosspolymer, sodium dihydroxycetyl phosphate, hydrolyzed pearl, sodium hyaluronate, algae extract, sea water (maris aqua), chlorella vulgaris extract, corallina officinalis extract, saccharomyces lysate extract, glucosamine HCl, glycerin, stearyl alcohol, urea, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), yeast (faex) extract, cetearyl alcohol, polysorbate 60, carbomer, saccharide isomerate, hydrolyzed corn starch, hydrolyzed corn starch octenylsuccinate, zea mays (corn) starch, ceteareth-20, glycoproteins, xanthan gum, phenoxyethanol, benzyl alcohol, fragrance (parfum), hydrolyzed algin, ceratonia siliqua gum, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, polyquaternium-67, sodium hydroxide, disodium EDTA, lauryl laurate, benzoic acid, dehydroacetic acid, salicylic acid, polyquaternium-51, sodium PCA, trehalose, benzethonium chloride, sodium chloride, limonene, linalool, titanium dioxide (CI 77891), mica (CI 77019)

Bliss's The Youth As We Know It Concentrate

Weekend Beauty Blog Network Reads

Beauty Anonymous reviews La Mer The Treatment Powder Foundation SPF15.

A Touch of Blusher reviews RMK Ingenious Powder Cheeks.

Decorative Diva shares her thoughts with you on a new Coconut Bodywash.

Beauty Junkie in SF discovers Sonia Kashuk has a blush for everyone, as long as you can get to Target!

Face Candy interviews purse designer Katherine Kwei about her beauty routine. Plus, WIN A $920 Katherine Kwei purse!

Beauty and Fashion Tech reviews and swatches the Bobbi Brown Nude Eye Palette.

Girl Gloss looks at Three SPF 15 or Higher Lip Balms for Sunny Days.

Elke starts her 5 Minute Summer Makeup How To Series, in 6 easy steps.

Toya from The Life of A Ladybug wants to know if you'll do just about anything for the beauty and strength of your hair, like ... put bull semen on it!

A Bit of Sunscreen News

Neutrogena just released the results of a sunscreen survey, and I'm a bit disappointed in the results!

While 80% of American agreed that sun exposure is bad, 60% of all Americans reported that they rarely or never put on sunscreen. And if you are using it, only 27% reported using at least 1 ounce of sunscreen, which means no one is using enough! If you don't apply a full ounce to your body, you are definitely under applying.

Under applying means you aren't getting all the SPF you think you are. In fact, if you apply half the dermatologist-recommended one ounce of sunscreen, you get the protection of only the square root of the SPF. So by applying only half-ounce of SPF 70, actually gets you an SPF 8.4.

Finally, they reported that 32% of Americans were concerned about not getting enough Vitamin D due to sunscreen use. While it is true that your body doesn't make as much Vitamin D with sunscreen use, you don't need much exposure every despite appropriate sunscreen use. Actually, you should be getting Vitamin D from other sources, like nutritious food. So, don't forget to drink your milk or take a calcium supplement with Vitamin D if you are concerned.

I have a bunch of sunscreens sitting here that I haven't had time to write about yet with the move, new job, etc. Hopefully I'll be reviewing them soon!

Neutrogena

Estée Lauder Sensuous Solid Perfume

Sometimes a product can really surprise you. I received this solid perfume in a package from Estée Lauder. Normally I am not a fan of solid perfumes. I find that they don't have the same depth as their counterparts and usually fade after a very short period of time. So, when I opened up this Sensuous solid, I wasn't expecting much from this pretty compact.

In truth, I like this solid even more than the original. Sensuous has this strange thing of warm feminine and luminous notes rather than top, middle and base notes. This is definitely a warm and woodsy scent. On me the Amber and Sandalwood notes are the most prominent, though the Jasmine lingers in the background doing it's job as a "feminine" note.

Warm Notes: Molten Woods, Amber
Feminine Notes: Jasmine, Ghost Lily, Magnolia, Ylang
Luminous Notes: Black Pepper, Sandalwood, Honey, Mandarin Orange Pulp

While warm and woodsy, this isn't overly oppressive. Instead, it is more warm and embrassing, but doesn't scream out "I'm wearing a woodsy scent!" I've enjoyed wearing it recently, but I'm going to save it to wear this fall. I think it might just be perfect for a crisp fall day, preferably at the Farmer's Market or a football game.

Oh yeah, did I mention that it lasts most of the day?

Estée Lauder Sensuous Solid Perfume

Beauty Fix 3, Have You Gotten Yours Yet?

I know, I know. I talk about Beauty Fix a lot. A LOT. But, I love this service! I love getting a great little travel bag filled with both full sized and trial sized products (truthfully, most of them are full sized, which is even better), and not knowing what exactly I'll find in that bag. This summer's shipment seemed to be especially amazing!

Eventually the shipments will over a little bit of a choice regarding what you'll get in your pack. For this summer, you get 9 out of a possible 12 items. So, you might not get exactly what I got, but there's so much great stuff on the list this summer that it won't disappoint you!
• Skindinavia Makeup Finishing Spray
• Pur~lisse pur~lip comfort
• Cures by Avance Age Defyer Eye
• Degree Women Body Mist
• Decleor Instant Radiance Moisturizer
• SpaRitual Nail Lacquer
• SpaRitual Instinctual Moisturizing Lotion
• Bliss The Youth As We Know It Concentrate
• Juara Tamarind Tea Toner
• ME! Bath Shower Sherbet
• ME! Bath Ice Cream
• iQ Derma Firmaceuticals Firming Body Gel

I'll be reviewing some of my products in the next week or so- stay tuned!

Beauty Fix

Get the Look: LC on Millionaire

I have to admit that I've never watched The Hills. Or the followup shows. But I know who LC is and I find her a bit fascinating. She's very pretty (I did live a few towns over from Laguna Beach and I have seen LC at Baja Fresh. She's even prettier in real life.), she seems to be much more well adjusted than Speidi and I love that she's trying to have actual careers (again, unlike Speidi) by doing things like writing NYT bestsellers (4 weeks at #1 is definitely not shabby) and coming out with her own clothing line.

So, I was happy to see her show up on Millionaire Thursday night! She was trying to win money for m.powerment by mark, the philanthropic initiative dedicated to breaking the cycle of dating abuse and partner violence. You can learn more about this program at the mark website, where you can also buy a necklace designed by LC and coming in October buy two new Baby Glow Hook Up lip glosses – m.powerment Peach and m.powerment Gold, created by LC. LC knew the answer to her question, but polled the audience for fun. She won $50,000 for m.powerment!

For her appearance, makeup artist Fabiola created a very pretty, fresh look for LC. Here are the shades that she used!

Face
• Speedway foundation in natural and honey
• Good Riddance concealer in medium/deep with Get Bright Highlighter in golden
• Matte-nificent Oil-Absorbing Powder in almond/mocha

Cheeks
• Good Glowing Mosaic Blush in chica

Eyes
• Get Bright Highlighter in natural as a base
• i-Mark Eye Shadow in nomadic and fairy dust to entire lid
• Get in Line Liquid Liner in painted black
• Make it Big Mascara, 2 coats in raven

Lips
• Lip gloss in m.powerment peach and m.powerment gold (not yet available, in October watch for them!)


Mark

A Few Changes

You may have noticed a few new things around here.

First, if you dig way back to about September, you'll find some posts from my shopping site, Things I Yearn For. That's right, I did merge the blogs. I'll start occasionally posting items here that I would have posted over there. I don't review clothes, bags, etc. I tend to just post things I like as I find them. Comment if you like them or not, etc. As part of this transition I'm moving over my favorite shopping links, stores can not pay or bribe me to be included. These are only places that I shop. As well, currently my Ideeli code is over in the right column as well, I'll be updating with some of the upcoming sales on occasion.

Next, I've added a Facebook page! It's still a work in progress, but I'll be posting events (from around the US), special offers and deals that I know about. Contests from other sites and companies will all go on the FB page as well, only ones I'm really excited about will be posted here.
15 Minute Beauty Fanatic on Facebook

Finally, I've added a new graphic for my reviews. I used it in last night's review of Elizabeth Arden's Intervene. Here it is:


These are the ingredients that I look for in my own anti-aging skin care products. They aren't the only ones out there in products, though they are the ones that are more proven in the medical literature (to my knowledge at least, I'm in pediatrics not dermatology). I'll check or uncheck the boxes if ingredients are available, and you can click on the box to read the post where I explain that ingredient.

Finally, don't forget to enter the contest for DKNY Be Delicious! It will end this weekend, open only to those in the US.

Elizabeth Arden's Intervene Line: My Attempt at Postponing my Birthday!

My birthday is this week. While for a lot of people this wouldn't be a big deal (and on the whole, it isn't for me), it is a reminder that I'm getting older. And I'm not super happy about that. I love that my face is still wrinkle free, and I'm fighting to keep it that way!

So, the next products I've tried out in my quest to use every anti-aging product line on the market are from Elizabeth Arden. The Intervene line is geared towards women 25-39, addressing "the first signs of aging" and helping you to "maintain skin's radiance and natural glow." Sounds pretty good to me!

So, what exactly does this line provide? While the products I tried out don't contain sunscreens or retinoids, they do have peptides and anti-oxidants. They also promote their "Biodormin" technology quite heavily.

"This new anti-aging technology extracts its key ingredient from the Narcissus Tazetta Bulb, during its period of dormancy. Studies show this extract has the ability to help slow the visible effects of aging on the skin. "

While I'm not sure about this ingredient, I do like that there is more than 1 type of active ingredient in these products.



After using these products for about 4 weeks I can't say that I've noticed less aging in my skin. I don't have wrinkles, there is nothing to turn around. What I did notice that my skin looked great. I was well moisturized, my skin didn't break out and my make up was easy to apply and blend every morning. I really enjoyed these products and I know I'll be pulling them out of my drawer in the future to use when I'm between product testings.

Stress Recovery Night Cream
This night cream is great! It is thick but not overly so. It feels amazing as it sinks into my skin, absorbing completely within a minute or so. It definitely hydrated well without leaving me a sticky mess to absorb into my pillowcase. It has a slight floral scent, but it's so faint I can't smell it at all after application.

Timefighting Radiance Serum
This serum is really more like a light lotion, with the consistency of one as well. It has basically no smell, absorbs quickly and easily hydrating my skin perfectly. I was able to apply makeup over this without any issues. I sometimes have problems with being a greasy mess about an hour after application if a daytime moisturizer is too heavy for me, which did not occur with this.

Pause & Effect Moisture Eye Cream
This is a pretty thick eye cream that absorbs quickly and easily, leaving the area well hydrated for makeup application. I had no issues with dryness or over hydration.

Elizabeth Arden Intervene Line

DKNY Delicous, a Fun New Bottle, and a Contest!

DKNY Delicious is one of those fragrances that has been around for a few years. While it isn't talked about a lot, I've been finding more and more of my friends wear this fragrance and love it. It's fresh, green scent makes it perfect for the dog days of summer, when the temperature is over 90 and the humidity makes it feel like you're swimming through the air.

Recently, DKNY teamed up with illustrator Brad Hamann to great a fun new take on this scent. Inspired by the pop art movement, the limited edition bottle has just been released along with a fun comic. The story is about a girl living in NYC, and I have to say that I love it!



The scent itself is light and fresh, with a bit of sweetness to it. Over time a bit more of the apple and tuberose notes come out, but it is never sticky sweet or overwhelming. It's one of the few scents that I can wear in the summer and not worry about being overwhelmed.

Top Notes: Grapefruit, Cucumber, Magnolia.
Middle Notes: Apple, Tuberose, White Muguet, Rose, Violet.
Base Notes: White Amber, Woods

The special edition bottle is available now, and you can view the comic at DKNY Fragrances

I was somehow lucky enough to have an extra bottle mailed to me. So, it's time to have a contest!

The winner will get a 1.7 ounce bottle of DKNY Be Delicious. The e-mail address and shipping address are required, but will only be seen by me and all info will be thrown out after the contest. Only residents of the United States are eligible.




DKNY Fragrances

A Great Tinted Moisturizer, MAC's Studio Moisture Tint SPF 15

It can be hard to find a good foundation product. Sometimes they don't blend well. Sometimes they just sit on top of your skin like an odd layer of grossness. Sometimes they make you break out. And sometimes they only come in shades never seen in nature.

Lately I've been less enamored with light-moderate coverage and looking more fore light coverage. But, I wanted a great match and flawless blending. I just wanted to look like I had perfect skin. This new moisturizer from MAC definitely delivers that! It absorbs easily into my skin. Though it isn't overly hydrating on my combination skin, those with dry skin may want to layer it over another moisturizer. It blends perfectly, lasts all day and I can't feel it on my face!

Overall, a great tinted moisturizer for summer.
MAC's Studio Moisture Tint SPF 15

Women's Health Best of Beauty

I always find it interesting what other women, especially large groups of women, list as their favorite products. All those beauty magazines that run "Best of" articles? They get me hook, line and sinker at the check out lane! Women's Health just released their list of the best products. What I love about this list is that while they tell you their readers' favorites, they also list the editors' favorites (similar to Allure), and the favorites of experts that they polled. Yes, I do want to know what shampoo hairdressers list as their favorite!

HAIR
Readers’ Picks
Best Shampoo: Pantene Pro-V Beautiful Lengths Shampoo, $4, at drugstores
Best Conditioner: Pantene Pro-V Ice Shine Conditioner, $4, cvs.com
Best At-Home Hair Color: L’Oreal Paris Feria Multi-Faceted Shimmering Haircolour, $10, lorealparis.com
Best Styling Product: Aveda Smooth Infusion Style-Prep Smoother, $24, aveda.com for stores

Experts’ Picks
Best Curl Enhancing/Shaping Product: Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious Defining Crème, $27, 1-888-728-6253
Best Straightening Product: Phyto Phytodefrisant, $26, phyto-usa.com for stores
Best Combination Product: Nexxus Dualiste Color Protection + Volume Shampoo and Conditioner, $12 and $16, at drugstores

Editors’ Picks
Best Mineral Shampoo and Conditioner: L’Oreal Paris EverPure Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner, $7 each, at drugstores
Best Heat Styling Product: Dove Heat Defense Therapy Mist, $4, at drugstores
Best Frizz Fighter: TRESemme Simply No Frizz Spray Gell, $5, at drugstores

BODY
Readers’ Picks
Best Body Lotion: Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion, $6, at drugstores.
Best Body Scrub/Shower Gel: Dove Boyd Washes with Nutrium Moisture, $4, at drugstores
Best Sunscreen: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 30, $9, at drugstores
Best Fragrance: Ralph Lauren Romance, $55, ralphlauren.com
Best Men’s Fragrance: Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio, $52.50 for 1.7 fl oz, at Macy’s stores

Experts’ Pick
Best Self-Tanner for Body: Clarins Delicious Self Tanning Cream. $42, clarinusa.com

Editors’ Pick
Best Deoderant: Secret Smooth Effects, $4, at drugstores
Sexiest New Fragrance: Estee Lauder Sensuous Parfum, $95 for o.25 oz, esteelauder.com

MAKEUP
Readers’ Picks
Best Eyeliner: CoverGirl Perfect Point Plus Pencil, $6, at drugstores
Best Eye Shadow: MAC Eye Shadow in Shroom, $15, maccosmetics.com
Best Mascara: Maybelline New York Great Lash in Blackest Black, $6, at drugstores
Best Lipstick: Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey, $14, clinique.com
Best Lip Balm: Burt’s Bees Honey Lip Balm, $3, burtsbees.com
Best Lip Gloss: MAC Lipgloss in Viva Glam VI, $14, maccosmetics.com
Best Nail Polish: OPI nail lacquer in Lincoln Park After Dark, $9, opi.com for stores
Best Blush: NARS Orgasm Blush, $25, narscosmetics.com
Best Foundation: Clinique Almost Makeup SPF 15, $20.50, clinique.com
Best Concealer: CoverGirl Invisible Concealer, $5, drugstore.com

Experts’ Picks
Best Makeup Remover: Shu Uemura Cleansing Beauty Oil, $65, shuuemura-usa.com
Best Lip-Liner: Nars Lip Liner Pencils, $20, narscosmetics.com
Best Bronzer: Guerlain Terracotta Light Sheer Bronzing Powder, $50, sephora.com
Best Pressed Powder: Chantecaille Compact Makeup Powder Foundation, $58, niemanmarcus.com
Best Shadow Palette: Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow Palette, $56, sephora.com

Editors’ Picks
Best Nail Care Collection: Sally Hansen Quick Care Nail Treatment Pens, $10 each, at drugstores
Best Volumizing Mascara: Max Factor 2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumper, $10, at drugstores
Best Brow-Grooming Aid: Revlon Pre/Post Tweezing Cream, $6, at drugstores

Check out the full article for more picks!