Category: ‘beauty’

Freebie Friday: Win A Clarisonic Cleansing System And $50 To Spend At SkinStore.com

skinstore logo

What: Is it time to fine-tune your skincare regimen? SkinStore.com, with brands like PhilosophyLa Roche Posay, Stila, and bareMinerals, is the go-to spot for premium skin care, cosmetics, hair care, beauty tools, and more. Receive free shipping on orders over $49  and 10% off every day with SkinStore Friends & Family.

Why: SkinStore.com is giving one lucky winner a new Clarisonic Mia Sonic Cleansing System AND a $50 e-gift certificate.

Clarisonic is the dermatologists’ secret to silky, smooth, skin.  Now, the new Clarisonic Mia Sonic Cleansing System offers all the benefits of the classic Clarisonic, in a new, smaller size. It even includes a charger and cleanser.

clarasonic

For more information on special offers and news from SkinStore, follow them on Twitter, Facebook, or their email list.

How: To enter, just visit SkinStore.com, and tell us in the comments section which three products you would like to add to your skin care or beauty routine.

1. Post a comment below about the three SkinStore products you’d want to add to your beauty routine.

2. You must supply us with a valid email address and sign up for the SheFinds newsletter.

3. The contest starts now and entries must be date stamped by our server no later than Friday, November 13th 2009 at 11:59 AM Eastern Time to be eligible.

4. One winner will be selected during a random drawing. The winners will be contacted and must reply via email as instructed in the newsletter to claim the prize.

5. No prize substitutions.

6. You must be 18 years old or older to enter and a resident of the USA. Residents of the state of Florida are not eligible to enter; entries from the state of Florida are void.

7. No purchase necessary.

8. Void where prohibited.

9. Click click here for the full rules.

“From Our Lips” To Yours – Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper For The MAC AIDS Fund

Lady Gaga starring in upcoming MAC Viva Glam AIDS Fund campaign

MAC’s newest AIDS Fund campaign, “From Our Lips,” will feature Lady Gaga alongside Cyndi Lauper, reports WWD.  The ads will debut on February 25, and the MAC Viva Glam Gaga and Viva Glam Cyndi lipsticks will launch on March 18th.  We can’t wait to see just what lip color best fits a lipstick named for Her Gaga-ness.

mac viva glam lipstickMAC Viva Glam Lip Kit

Luckily for us, Viva Glam lipstick is already available in five shades.  Should you prefer a little more infrastructure, MAC’s Viva Glam Lip Kit features two of the lipstick colors plus a lipgloss, with 100 percent of the kit’s proceeds still being donated to the MAC AIDS Fund.

For more beneficial ways to outfit your person, look to paraben-free beauty, eco-friendly shoes and handbags, and reusable grocery tote bags.

Stay Out a Few Extra Hours – With This Handy Gadget, No One Will Be Able to Tell

GarnierEyeRoller

What: Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller ($14)

Why:
I’m too young to get eye de-puffing surgery, too old to wear gobs of white eyeshadow on any occasion other than Halloween, and I happen to be super sensitive to most eye creams.

Thank goodness I found Garnier’s Anti-Puff Eye Roller. It’s easy to use – I just sweep the rollerball under my eyes before bed and after I wash my face in the morning – and it already seems to be working after just a week. Thanks to decongesting caffeine and hydrating vitamins, I look more alert, which makes me feel more chipper, which makes me want to stay out and actually earn those under-eye circles I’ll be zapping.  Considering it costs less than what I fork over to Starbucks in a week, I’m happy to pay to look as wide awake as I feel.

I’m not the only one making up for late nights with Garnier’s help. The eye roller has won accolades from Cosmetic Industry Women and is a 2009 Allure Best of Beauty winner, too.

Get Yours:
drugstore.com

After your undereye circles disappear, play up your eyes with mascara and a little eyeliner, and get ready to party.

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Ombre Hair, In Case One Color Just Isn’t Enough

ombre hair trend on the streetombre hair

It’s bound to happen.  You’ll get sick of your blonde/brunette/redhead locks and need to have multiple shades adorning your head, but certainly not in boring old highlight form. Okay, maybe this isn’t bound to happen, but Refinery 29 has picked up on an interesting ombre hair trend, and we certainly wouldn’t want you to miss out on the best way to cop the look (if you must).

clairol xtreme fx bleach-out tool kitClairol Natural Instincts Suede Light Brown

For maximum shading and contrast, if you aren’t already, you’re going to need to go partly blond.  The Clairol Xtreme FX Bleach-Out Kit has the tools that make it easy to lighten all or part of your head as you see fit.  And then, to get the most fun out of this look, dye the ends of your hair with a semi-permanent color that will eventually fade to another shade.  This way you’ll get more than one color combination from your two-toned strategy.  We like the idea of starting off with Natural Instincts’ Suede Light Brown shade.

An ombre coif isn’t low-maintenance.  Do it up with mascara and eyeshadow and then style the look à la your favorite celeb.

The Numbers Are In – Americans Are Going Green

A new survey concludes that many U.S. consumers will soon convert to eco-friendly products, says WWD.  About 59% of shoppers are expected to make the switch in apparel, with even more (74%) converting in the health and beauty department.

Get a kick start on this trend with our guides to paraben-free beauty, eco-friendly underwear, and eco-friendly shoes and handbags to accessorize.  We’ve also compiled some of our favorite organic and eco-friendly clothing and products – click through to see a slideshow of some of the best (safe) duds and beauty products.

Plaid On Your Face? Burberry’s Launching A Makeup Line

Burberry Beat

Following hot on the heels of its successful launch of the fragrance The Beat, British staple brand Burberry is debuting a complete range of beauty products in July of next year, reports the Independent.  So what goes well with a trench?  Details haven’t been released, but we’re envisioning classic red lipstick and understated, glamorous eyeshadow.

Clinique High Impact Lip Colour in Red-y To WearBeingTRUE eye shadow in mesa

Evergreen glamor is a look we can’t wait for.  We’ll sport the style, for now, with Clinique’s High Impact Lip Colour in Red-y To Wear and BeingTRUE’s Compact Eye Shadow in Mesa, an ever-so-slightly sparkling bronze tone that goes with everything.  Finishing the look with the best mascara and a little eyeliner might even give us enough patience to make it until Burberry’s July debut.

Let Your Nails Do The Talking This Halloween

Keeping nails polished is all the rage this fall, so why not deck out those talons for the Halloween?  We’re not talking orange pumpkin decals but rather, chic shades of polish that fit the holiday and still look good.  Any one of these three lacquers would look just right as the finishing touch to a good-humored slutified outfit and a wacky wig.

Sephora Dark Room

1. Sephora by OPI’s Dark Room nail color is a doom-and-gloom filled shade of dirty navy blue.  It’s weird and beautiful at the same time.  We’d recommend it if you’re wearing anything Twilight-inspired or plan to go down the traditional witch route.

Mac style black nail lacquer in nocturnelle

2. When in doubt, go with basic black.  I love MAC’s nail lacquer in Nocturnelle (and the bottle’s kind of sexy looking, too).  This one’s good for gothic looks, adding a little edge to pretty much any sort of get-up, or ignoring the costume component all together.

Dior sweet orange nail lacquer

3. If you must indulge the orange, keep it more pretty than pumpkin.  Dior’s Sweet Orange both fits the theme on October 31st and looks classy all year round.  It’ll also add a nice, extra warm-color touch in case you’re doing something Lady Gaga-related.

dashing diva press on nails

4. For those of you who just can’t resist a holiday decal, Dashing Diva’s ditched the jack-o-lantern for the edgier skull and crossbones.  These thin press-on nails are easy to apply and make quite the Halloween statement.

Still need to put on the rest of your Halloween face?  Don’t worry – we’ve got you covered, with the best mascara, eyeliners, and eyeshadows.

Stila Makeup Player: Makeup Lesson + iPod Speakers + Travel Case = Generally Cool Thing

stila makeup player

What: Stila Makeup Player, $70

Why: Inside this grown-up Kaboodle (it’s a really good size for travel – I’d stuff my lingerie in the bottom part, makeup in the top), you’ll find five Stila products in your shade, a mirror…and an mp3 dock.

It’s cool because:

  1. You can play makeup lesson videos from Stila on your mp3 player (it works with iPhones, BlackBerrys, and others), which sits right in front of the mirror; look down at the lesson, look up at your face, expertly apply makeup, repeat.
  2. Extra makeup lesson videos are free to download at StilaBeautyTube.com, starting November 1.
  3. The built-in speakers that play your makeup lesson also play everything else on your device. Hello, traveling party.
  4. Five products (lip gloss, eyeshadow trio, shadow brush, lip and cheek tint, and Stila’s new foundation) and iPod speakers for $70 is kind of a deal.

Get Yours: Pre-order at StilaBeautyTube.com – the site launches in full November 1.

Round out the products in your Makeup Player with our picks for the best mascaras, best eye creams, and best travel beauty items.

Germaphobes Rejoice, Hand Sanitizers May Be The Year’s Biggest Trend

purell

Move aside over the knee boots and trendy plaid shirts, nifty hand sanitizers are set to be this season’s hottest item. According to a leading resource for data on global trade, hand sanitizer shipments to the U.S. more than doubled in 2009. Experts say this is all due to a heightened fear of catching swine flu this winter. Whatever the reason, everyone and their mother is releasing instant antiseptics right now – and luckily the choices range from eco-friendly botanical products to kid-proof sanitizers that don’t smell like sanitizers. We’re all for avoiding the flu, so we’ve come up with some useful tactics of our own that will surely help you avoid swine in style.

burt's bees hand sanitizereo hand sanitizer

Tired of that stinky Purell smell? Try Burt’s Bees Hand Sanitizer (it combines aloe and witch hazel for a soothing effect) or a bottle of EO’s Organic Lemon disinfectant.

Now that you’re clean, let’s get beautiful. Shop our picks to the best mascara, bath products, concealers and eye creams.

You’ll Have To Keep Fish On Your Plate And Not On Your Toes

doctor fish pedicure

A while back we brought you (drumroll, please)…the fish pedicure.  It sounds horrible but is actually effective, in so much as little doctor fish (Garra rufa) nibble on your dead foot skin, leaving your feet smooth and soft.  Diane Sawyer even tried it out.  However, as the odd Chinese beauty procedure gains momentum, it also attracts the attention of various cosmetology boards, many of whom have deemed it unsanitary.

Upper Canada All About Feetl'occitane lavender foot cream

In case the de-legalization of the fish pedicure leaves you with callouses and no way to heal them, we’ve got a couple tricks no health board could disagree with.  Upper Canada’s All About Feet smells like peppermint and uses walnut shells and apricot seeds to slough off dead skin.  Follow that with L’Occitane’s Lavender Relaxing Foot Cream, and you’ll be smooth, clean, and even delightfully fragrant.

For more foot woe fixes, there are foot creams galore from which to choose, and bath products in general to keep you smelling and feeling sweet.

Whip Lash: Three Mascaras to Try Now

I’m always hunting for that perfect mascara. Like everyone, I want something that makes my lashes look longer, thicker, and curlier without making them look like clumpy spider legs. Ick. To help you all on your personal search for perfection, here’s the down and dirty on three I’ve tried:

Maybelline-pulse-perfection

1. Maybelline Pulse Perfection in Blackest Black ($15). Buy this mascara! The thin formula goes on easily even when layering multiple coats, and the vibrating wand guarantees clumpless lashes. I’m in love.

lashadelic

2. Flirt! Lash-a-delic in Groovy Blue ($14). Obviously, we as a society want all of our visible white-ish surfaces to be as white as possible. Since no one’s invented eye-whitener yet, we’ll have to stick with blue mascara. This one is great because it’s blue enough to work, but not too blue.

covergirl

3. CoverGirl LashBlast Volume Blasting in Brown ($7). This is a good mascara for casual everyday use.  I’d actually recommend this to someone who was looking for subtle lash enhancement, but definitely not for the extreme “big lash” look  advertised.

For more top picks, take a look at the all the best mascara.  Then make it a three-pronged approach with the best eyeliner and eye creams.

Virtual Beauty Just Isn’t As Good As The Real Thing

makeover studio

While we generally appreciate cool new online gadgets, we’re not quite so sure about the updated edition of DailyMakeover.com’s virtual beauty tool. As the Times reported, Makeover Studio allows its users to set up a free account, upload a picture of their face (or play around with a photo of one of their models) and virtually test cosmetics from over 40 brands.

Although I love trolling for makeup in the flesh, since this morning’s Daily Mail suggested that the tool is helpful for those challenged in the application department (very much me), I decided to give this newfangled mode of cosmetic shopping a chance. The outcome? Well, I don’t know what was scarier, staring directly into the penetrating eyes of the model I chose, or the  unnatural color I made her skin when trying to find a foundation. Personally, I’ll stick with Sephora.

bare escentualsfresh sugar rose

Need new makeup for fall? We like Bare Escentuals Starter Kit since it comes in a few skin tones and includes easy to use primer, powders, and brushes. For luscious red lips, we suggest you pucker up with a tinted lip treatment from Fresh.

Skip over the virtual part of your makeover and head directly to some real live looks you’ll love – we’ve got guides for the best in concealers, eyeliners, and paraben-free beauty.