Online Makeover

Taaz is a fun site that lets you play around with makeup and hair. It’s a lot of  fun. I haven’t uploaded my own picture yet, but they have a variety of models you can use. Did I do a good job with her makeup?

Chloé Eau de Parfum Spray

Chloé Eau de Parfum Spray. 1.7 oz $85. Went to Bloomies the other day and sniffed this. Awesome scent. As described by Chloe:

“Chloé’s newly unveiled signature scent captures the creative, confident individuality of the Chloé woman. A fresh and feminine fragrance with an utterly innate sense of chic.”

I over-sprayed some all over my coat before I left.  It lasts and lasts too.

Get your Spa Week April 12th-18th

http://www.spaweek.com

All services are $50. I booked an appointment at Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa at the Plaza for a 45 minute facial and an appointment at Randee Elaine Spa for a professional Brite White Teeth Whitening. Never done a professional teeth whitening before.

The Perfect Red

Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Crimson: $9. Just got this because I saw my friend wearing it and it looked so good on her. We have completely different skin tones but I’m convinced this color works with ever skin color.  This red has sort of a pin-up girl appeal.  It’s very unexciting in the tube – I certainly would not have picked it out of a line-up of lipstick colors, but once it’s on, it is hot! I got tons of compliments when I went out with it and wore a sleek black dress with a black leather jacket. It is really the perfect red.

Results of Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation Tryout

RESULTS: ■□□□□  Perricone MD No Foundation Foundation. $50. This product turned out to be pretty disappointing. My skin felt so sticky after putting it on, and the stickiness doesn’t go away.  If you want to apply powder blush or bronzer on top, it doesn’t make for a smooth application.  Just to make sure it wasn’t because I have oily/combination skin, I asked my friend who has normal/dry skin to try it out. She has the same experience.

This is what the product claims:

• Instantly reduces the appearance of wrinkles, lines and pores. (—> My experience: The coverage is similar to that of a regular light-coverage foundation)
• Provides non-chemical SPF 30 broad spectrum UV protection. (—>My experience: This is good. Ingredients are Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide)
• Corrects skin undertones. (—>My experience: Again, coverage is similar to that of a regular light-coverage foundation)
• Quick-absorbing. (—>My experience: Not at all! Felt it all day)
• Moisturizes. Skin appears smooth and naturally dewy. (—>My experience: It definitely feels like it’s moisturizing. The dewy look does not look like it’s coming from within, and instead looks like you used a moisturizer)

This product contains ingredients that Dr. Perricone praises in his book The Wrinkle Cure.  You can read more about them below. I didn’t feel these positive effects, probably because I did not use it long enough.

1. Alpha Lipoic Acid:

• Provides antioxidant protection from skin damaging free radicals
• Reduces wrinkles, fine lines, pore size, puffiness and discoloration
• Smooths skin texture
• Evens skin tone and imperfections

2. DMAE

• Tightens and lifts skin
• Reduces appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

Liz Earle Skincare – Surprisingly Good!

I’ve never heard of this brand until recently when I was Googling natural skin products. Though Liz Earle doesn’t claim to have 100% natural ingredients, it does try, and they have guidelines such as never using mineral oils.  I ordered a 3 piece kit which includes their award winning product, “The Cleanse and Polish”.  This is a British brand, and I was surprised that when I ordered online, they actually shipped to me from the U.K.

Anyways, I was so surprised with the results of the “Cleanse and Polish”! My skin felt so clean and soft, but the most amazing thing was not that. The most amazing thing was how my skin looked hours later. I have combination/oily skin and blot my skin every time I get in front of a mirror. Honestly I didn’t expect any face cleanser to change that drastically. I always thought it had more to do with the moisturizer. But I was wrong. The first day I tried the facewash (and toner and lotion kit), I noticed that my skin was not getting oily throughout the day. I actually didn’t need to blot!  So now my regimen includes using the Dermalogica PreCleanse, then using the Liz Earle kit.

Also just discovered that January Jones from Mad Men is a fan of their products: http://stanford.wellsphere.com/green-living-article/january-jones-organic-skincare-secret/115934

Liz Earle – Healthy, Beautiful Skin Kit, $50. (Only the cleanser is pictured) The kit includes a cleanser, toner and moisturizer.  The cleanser is pretty unique. Your face should be dry when you apply the cleanser, which looks and feels like lotion. After you massage the cleanser onto your face and neck, you take the cloth that came with the kit and wet it with warm water, and then wring out the water before using it to remove the cleanser from your face. Your skin is pretty dry the entire time. Then you wash your face with water as usual. My face is amazingly clean afterwards. The toner and moisturizer both feel like high quality products.  I am not sure it’s anything super special like the cleanser, but the three products work well together.  I am so impressed with how my skin does not need blotting during the day now, and yet it also doesn’t feel dry. I will definitely re-order, and may even try some of their other products. I recommended the kit to my friend, and she is going to try it out now. I’ll let you know if she has a similar experience with the products.

CURRENTLY TRYING OUT: Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate, 1 fl. oz., $70. My friend also bought this product when she ordered her 3 piece kit and she will let me know how it goes.

Results of the Baby Shampoo Tryout

RESULTS: ■□□□□  Johnson’s No More Tangles Shampoo + Conditioner. 18 fl oz. $6.50. This shampoo was not a good detangler. In fact my hair didn’t feel different at all, granted this is a baby shampoo…for babies. The lather was good. The smell of the shampoo was overwhelming! Really unexpected in a baby shampoo. Hate to compare it to the scent of a doggy shampoo, but that’s what it reminded me of.  If you like shampoos with heavy scents, and you are not looking for detangling qualities, this shampoo is inexpensive and does the trick.

!

Favorite Hair Styling Product

This is my favorite hair product by far! I’ve had strangers come up to me and compliment me on the texture of my hair, and it’s totally this product!

KMS California HairPlay Texture Blast. 6.8 oz. $17.00. I spray this stuff in when my hair is wet and then scrunch and let it air dry, or I blow dry and spray more in afterwards, and either way it gives a piecey look without making your hair crispy. It also makes your hair look shiner.  I’ve only found it on drugstore.com but I’m sure they carry it at specialty stores.

Favorite Perfumes

I have three perfumes that I currently use that I really love.

EnJoy by Jean Patou. Eau de Parfum 2.5 fl oz. Mostly discontinued, $36 on Amazon. (Bought mine for $145 at Saks when it came out in ’03). Not many people use this scent and it’s been discontinued from Saks, though they still carry the regular Joy by Jean Patou. This perfume is gorgeous and smells warm and sexy! It’s a completely underrated scent. It’s definitely not a scent for everyone and it’s not casual. It can be a classy and sophisticated sexy, or a raw and audacious sexy depending on how you feel.  It lasts forever unlike Coco Mademoiselle.

• 

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle. Eau de Parfum 1.7 oz. $80. This one is sexy too, but not as much as EnJoy.  It’s something you can wear during the day. The drawback is that this scent doesn’t last! I feel like I can’t wear this when I go out at night unless I want to bring the bottle with me.  I smelled this on my friend one day and had to ask her what it was and then bought it right away. She told me she had done the same thing with her roommate. So this is an undeniably captivating scent.

J’adore by Dior. Eau de Parfum 1.0 oz. $56. This scent is very floral, good for everyday. Not overwhelming or heavy.  For me this has substituted Dazzling Gold by Estee Lauder which I used to use.  It’s a bit flirter and a warm but fresh smell.

The New Duane Reade on 34th St. Herald Square

Visited the new two-level Duane Reade on 34th St today.  They still had their usual Vichy, La Roche-Posay and Avene products that they carry at some of their other stores, but this store was way more stocked and had new brands that I’ve never heard of.  The selection was overwhelming! Ended up leaving with some toothpaste, Curel lotion (staple), and a baby detangling shampoo.

iPhone picture of the Duane Reade, 2nd floor (34th St and 6th Ave – Herald Square, New York, NY)

Duane Reade 34th St Herald Square

 

CURRENTLY TRYING OUT: Johnson’s No More Tangles Shampoo + Conditioner. 18 fl oz. $6.50. Seems like this product doesn’t belong here.  Never tried a baby shampoo! But the “detangling” aspect caught my eye. I rarely brush my hair because I like the tussled look…but there are drawbacks. This definitely doesn’t smell like a baby shampoo. It’s heavy in the flowery perfume scent. They have two versions, one for curly and the other one for straight (blue bottle). I have straight hair with bit of a natural wave and so I got the curly version so that it hopefully won’t weight down my hair. Will let you know how it turns out!