Beauty Product of the Week: Revlon Eye Makeup Eraser Pen

What is it? Revlon's new Makeup Eraser Pen "instantly removes eyelid and lip makeup mistakes. It has a non-greasy formula with soothing botanicals glides on for instant, effortless removal of eye and lip mistakes. It lifts away longwearing and waterproof makeup without irritating skin. The soft tip lets you target hard-to-reach mistakes without disturbing your makeup. The antibacterial tip automatically dispenses the perfect amount of formula." Available at drugstores for about $8.00 or less.

What did you think? I had an absolute makeup disaster this morning. I not only managed to smudge my eyeliner, but I also blinked while applying my mascara, leaving a ring of black lash marks around the bottom of my lid. I looked like Little Alex from A Clockwork Orange! Somehow I didn't think that look would work for me in the office, so I quickly grabbed tissues and tried to undo my damage. Then I remembered that I recently purchased Revlon's Makeup Eraser Pen--what a great way to test it out!

First, I tended to the easy job: the smudged eyeliner. With two strokes of the pen, all evidence of the smudged dark brown pencil was gone. Nice! Happily, I cleaned off the tip of the pen and got to work on my mascara meltdown. With a few strokes, my lower lid was restored to its normal, tar-free self. This pen really did the trick!

The final verdict? This is a beauty bag must have! I so often find myself needing to make small touch ups to my liner or mascara, and this does a great job. It's small enough to fix tiny mistakes that can just ruin an entire look. And even though it's called an eye makeup eraser, I'm sure it could be used for errant lipstick. What stainstick is for laundry, Revlon's Makeup Eraser Pen is for cosmetics. Love it!

We Have a Winner!

Congratulations to Serendipity! She is the winner of the salon name contest and will receive a bottle of Bed Head After Party Smoothing Cream. I know you'll love it...for a number of reasons!

Cat's Meow

The very dramatic, perfectly (or should I say purrfectly?) winged-out cat's eye is all over the place this fall. To get the look, you need to know how to use liquid eyeliner without looking stupid.

Even though I am skilled at using pencil and cream eyeliners, the mere sight of a liquid eyeliner makes me sweat. I dread using it! I find it cumbersome and am always a little too heavy-handed, so instead of looking sophisticated in my black liquid liner, I end up looking like Amy Winehouse. What gives?

So, to help all of us get a grip on this trend, here are some tips for using (yikes!) liquid eyeliner:

• Start off with your eye shadow. Since you're going to be adding a very definite, bold line to your eye, keep your shadow warm, soft, and neutral.
  
• Make sure you're using the right kind of brush. Hopefully the bottle of liquid eyeliner came with a pointy-ended brush. You need something that will allow for a precise, clean line, so the smaller and more pointed, the better.
• Open your eyes! If you close your eye while applying your liner, you're more likely to end up an uneven or bumpy line...not the look you're after! If you keep your eye open while you apply the liner, you'll find it easier to follow the natural shape of your lashline.
• Stroke it! Instead of painting on one long, continuous line, try drawing on three dashes: one toward the inner part of your lid, one in the center, and one at the outer corner. Once the three strokes are in place, connect them and build up the outer line, curving up to the familiar catty point.
• When all else fails, cheat! If you have a hard time getting the shape you want with the liquid liner, first draw a guideline with a pencil. Once you've established the look you want, go over your line with the liquid liner.
• Be prepared for mistakes. According to the good folks over at Elle, a Q-Tip dipped in moisturizer can be used to tweak any mistakes.
• Above all, the best advice is practice, practice, practice.
  

There you have it! Hopefully this will help us deal with the challenges of liquid eyeliner. Somehow I think I'll stick with my pencil and cream liners for the most part.

Reminder: I'm Giving Away a Bottle of Bed Head's After Party!

Happy Monday! Just a quick reminder to leave me a comment on this post by midnight tomorrow (August 28th). When you do, you'll be entered to win a free tube of one of my favorite hair care products, Bed Head's After Party Smoothing Cream. Who can turn down a chance to get some free stuff?

Sometimes a Brush is More Than a Brush

I don't know about you, but I always seem to hear conflicting information about brushing your hair. Some (like Marcia Brady) advocate diligent, enthusiastic hair brushing several times a day. Others say brushing your hair causes damage and should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Now Goody, one of the most prolific makers of brushes and other styling products, is selling brushes that do more than just style your hair.

In their current ad campaign for their new line of style therapy brushes, Goody is encouraging us to cheat on our condition, shampoo, and stylist. Here's how:

• Add+Shine: These brushes are infused with jojoba oil and vitamin E to condition and hydrate, replacing moisture lost by shampooing. The oils and vitamins in the brush promise to smooth the cuticle, thereby preventing annoying fly-aways. Sounds great, especially for use during winter when we're faced with dry, hot air indoors.
  
  
• Reduce+Dandruff: Flakes are so annoying, but this line of brushes contains copper, a natural fungicide that reduces dandruff and dry scalp issues. How nice to use a brush to control flakes instead of relying on harsh anti-dandruff shampoos!
  
  
• Protect+Color: If you're like me and you color your hair, you know how shampoo and environmental factors fade your expensive dye job. Goody offers brushes for blondes, red heads, and brunettes that contain something called Questamide. Apparently, Questamide is an oil that is very similar to the oils in scalp that close the cuticle and help lock in your color. These are boar bristle brushes, so they're really great for styling.

These brushes have yet to really hit the market, so I can't find the prices for them yet. Just keep your eyes peeled for them at your local Rite-Aid, CVS, Longs, or Meijer. Apparently the brushes will also be available at evil, wicked Wal-Mart, but I'll never advocate spending money there since they are union-busting, bad to their employees, and the epitome of everything wrong with a capitalist system. (Lecture over.)

I'll give an update on pricing and availability soon, until then, go to www.stylingtherapy.com for more info!

Beauty Product of the Week: Revlon 3D Extreme Mascara

What is it? Revlon's brand-spanking new 3D Extreme Mascara "Dramatizes eyes with 25x fuller, 70% curvier, and 80% visibly longer lashes with beautiful separation. Lashes appear multiplied from every angle. Unique Bold Impact™ Brush features a breakthrough design to build dramatic lashes in three ways:

• Shorter bristles deposit mascara for extreme fullness.
• Extended bristles lift lashes up and out for maximum length, curl and separation.
• Tapered tip reaches corners of eyes to magnify and multiply the smallest of lashes.
• Patented lightweight gel formula spirals around each lash with intense color for maximum impact with no caking or flaking."

Available at drugstores for between $9.00 and $13.00.
What did you think? Mascara is a beauty must, and if you've read my blog for any amount of time, you'll know I'm a Maybelline Great Lash devotee. Even though I'm pretty loyal in my personal relationships, I'm a brand whore when it comes to mascara. I'll try any brand, any price point...you name it, I'll apply it to my lashes.

I've recently been thinking a lot about mascara (I know, I need to get a life!), and it seems like mascaras either provide length OR provide fullness...they never do both. So when I saw that Revlon's newest mascara, 3D Extreme, offered both full and long lashes, I had to give it a try.

What makes this mascara unique is its wand. I've never seen a wand quite like it. The bristles are really short and there are empty sections that look like big chunks have been taken out of the brush. In theory, this avant guard wand is supposed to deposit mascara easily to the shortest, smallest lashes. I found that all it provided was tarry, clumpy lashes that needed a lot of combing to make look somewhat decent.

The final verdict? My lashes were longer and darker, but I didn't feel that they were fuller or prettier than they are with Great Lash. If anything, I found them to look very spidery. I don't know how else to describe it. I was unimpressed with the amount of clumping, and the overly thick, tarry texture of the mascara was a put off.

Yet again, my love for Great Lash has been confirmed. I'll begrudgingly finish out my tube of 3D Extreme, but I won't buy it ever again.

Allure Must Think We're Dumb

I know everyone has already covered this, but I was thumbing through the September issues of Allure, and man--what an insult. I know Allure is a magazine all about beauty, fashion and makeup, and that all of these things are tools in the art of deception--tools most of us use on a daily basis. But the one thing the average woman doesn't have at her disposal is an overly zealous retoucher who spends hours painstakingly removing every pore, every line, every flaw, every extra pound.

When I look at Britney Spears on the cover of Allure and see her shiny, wavy (wig) hair, her porcelain skin, and her smaller frame, it just frustrates me. Real women can never live up to this false standard of beauty...hell, Britney Spears herself can't live up to the standard she is setting, and it really does a disservice to us all in the long run. Why bother having a real person on the cover of a magazine? If what we want is perfection, why don't publishers and advertisers just use Barbies in their shoots? Barbie probably doesn't require Photoshop, after all!

CONTEST: What's in a Name?

Without really knowing it, I have been hunting for bad hair salon names. So far I have a collection of six really bad salon names, but I know there are more out there. My list thus far includes:

1. Split Ends Salon: I actually go to this place. The name confuses me. Don't I want to avoid split ends? If so, why would I go to a place that advertises split ends?
2. Hair Force One: I saw this in Vermont and it resulted in an instant eye-roll. Could a name be any more lame? Honestly!
3. Tangles: Again, just like Split Ends, why would I go to a place named after something I want to avoid? It's like calling your restaurant Indigestion!
4. Delilah's: This is just way too obvious of a name and a little too cutesy for my taste. Plus I am married to a "Sampson"-esque long haired man, so this name makes me shudder for him.
5. The Mane Event: Going to the salon for a haircut is not an "event", and adding the word "mane" to it just makes me think of horses. Somehow it doesn't work for a high end salon!
6. Curl Up and Dye: For some reason, I kind of like this groan-worthy name. It makes me think the salon is going to be hip, cutting edge, maybe a bit scary. I think I like that!
   

I have a challenge for all of you. Leave a comment with a craptastic salon name, or just leave a comment about anything you want on this post, and you'll be entered to win one of my favorite hair products: Bed Head's After Party Smoothing Cream.

Be sure to email me or leave me with some way of getting in touch with you. The cut off date is August 28th at midnight--the winner will be announced on August 29th.

Have fun and good luck!

Get the Look: SUPERNATURAL

While the natural look might sound easy to do, the SUPERnatural look requires a great deal of makeup application skill. The look must be flawless--the skin is the center stage, so you better be perfect to make this look work. Here's how to get it:

FACE
Since the skin is the focal point, you'll want to hide your pores and create a perfectly matte base. Try a product like Make Up Forever's Mat Velvet + Matifying Foundation. This will help control shine while giving you a flawless surface. Now you can add a healthy (not oily) shine to the skin while creating some contours and definitions by using some natural but tinted blush to the cheeks.

EYES
Keep your eye color neutral while brightening the lids with khaki and tan colors. Eyeliner shouldn't be too dark--keep it in the light brown family--and mascara should just make the lashes look natural, not too long, too thick, or too dramatic. You also need to make sure your brows are perfectly in place to pull off this look. Try Anastasia's Brow Express Brow Enhancing Kit.

LIPS
Just like the dramatic look, you'll want to opt for a nude lip. Just be sure to select a shade with a hint of color and shine to make the final look a bit more polished. Steer clear of mauves, reds, or anything with too much color to it.

HAIR
Channel your inner Gweneth Paltrow and break out your flat iron! The Supernatural look is super controlled, and hair should be the same. Keep it sleek, straight and shiny. Try a product like Frederic Fekkai's Coiff Controle Ironless Straightening Balm to blow your hair straight without having to iron it to beautiful flatness.

Get the Look: DRAMATIC

Attention all goth girls!! According to Sephora, those super dark raccoon eyes you love so much are hot, hot, hot for the fall. Here's how to get the dramatic look--perfect for a late night autumn party...hint: it's all about the eye.

FACE
This look doesn't require anything fancy for the skin. Just apply your favorite foundation and blush. You don't want to over do the blush, but you want to give your cheeks a hint of color so you don't look too washed out.

EYES
The eyes are your focal point with this look, so take some time to make them pop. Sephora is touting the smoky look with a twist: instead of sticking to neutral colors, they suggest some interesting color combinations. Try lining your lids with a deep emerald-green liner, followed with a bit of black. On the lids, sweep a similarly dark emerald eye shadow on the lower lid, up just past the crease. Then add a layer of dark, eggplanty purple for contrast. Instead of the green and aubergine combo, you could also try a deep teal brushed into the crease of your lid, creating a triangular shape. Or, really go crazy and create a smoky violet eye. Try some of the gorgeous shades from Urban Decay or Make Up Forever.

No matter what color combo you go with, be sure to add a heavy rim of black around your eyes to define the shape and provide a clean edge. Also, when using highly pigmented colors, take your time and be careful--flecks of color will fall onto your cheek as you apply the color. Before finishing your look, take a moment to make sure you don't have a weird shadow of color under your eyes!

LIPS
Since the eyes are the focus, play down the lip. Opt for very nude shades with hints of gold, peach, or pink. While you don't want the lips to be a focal point, you don't want to look like a corpse! Try NARS lipstick in Barbarella or Belle Du Jour.

Get the Look: GLAMOROUS

Of the three looks Sephora is touting for the fall, my favorite by far is the glamorous look. I love the whole pin-up girl style with wavy hair, perfect red lips, and sophisticated, old Hollywood eyes. Here's how to get the glamorous look:

FACE
Start with a good face primer to smooth out skin and minimize pores. Try a product like Smashbox's Photo Finish Foundation Primer with UVA/UVB SPF 15 and Dermaxyl Complex to give the skin a natural base and a healthy glow. Follow with your favorite foundation and a neutral (i.e., not too bright, not too pink, not too apricot) blush.

EYES
Sephora's makeup artists are all about changing the contours and creases of the eye. They sweep a darker color up and over the normal crease to make a heavy lower lid. Very sexy, very 40s. But more important than that are the details: thick, black liquid eye liner to create a cat eye shape and long, full lashes. For really intense lashes, try Imju's Fiberwig. This Japanese best seller attaches a fiber around the lashes to give you long, full, almost false lashes. Sounds like fun.

LIPS
Red is the way to go! And this fall, it's time to put away all those lightly colored, super shiny lipglosses and bust out the big gals--richly pigmented, creamy, thick lipsticks. Take some time to find the perfect red for you, and don't be afraid to go a little crazy. The Sephora makeup artists are even advocating for a matte lip--quite the change from our recent gloss mania. Try a classic shade from Sephora's own line. They offer a surprising variety of colors and won't break the bank!

HAIR
The glam look really comes together with luscious, wavy hair. To get the waves without all those annoying, old fashioned little hair pins, break out your flat iron. Hold it vertically and gently wrap a section of hair around the iron, then pull it through. Viola! Soft, pretty waves. Try a product like Oscar Blandi's Olio Di Jasmine Shine Spray that will finish your hair with a frizz-busting shine.

Fall Trends from Sephora

I received my Fall 2007 Sephora Runway Report in the mail the other day. For the upcoming fall season, Sephora's predicting three trends--I'll go into more details about each look over the coming days, but here's a quick overview:

The Glamorous Look: Think old-Hollywood--classic, defined, and oh-so 1940s. The key looks are bold red lips, cat eyes, simple yet striking colors, and soft, wavy hair. To me this looks very pin-up girl, which I love! It makes me want to throw on a pencil skirt and really high heels. Meow!

The Dramatic Look: Ooh! Heroin-chic! Think gothy-dark eyes rimmed with thick, smeared black liner. Your keywords are sultry, dark, and smoky. Of course when the eyes are this defined, it's best to opt for a very nude lip. This would be a great late-night party look.

The Supernatural Look: The emphasis here is perfect, glowing skin, and a very subtle palette of colors. Think peach, plum, gray, pistachio, and cream, with pin straight hair. Don't let the lack of color seduce you into thinking this will be an easy look to pull off. It's not--it demands absolute control and flawless application. Not for the faint of heart!

Again, I'll go into more detail about how to get these looks in the next few posts, but for now, tell me what you think. I have a poll on the sidebar (to the right)--let me know which look is your favorite. Me? I'm all about the glamorous look!

Retail Therapy

Good grief has it ever been a week, and it's only Wednesday. Seriously, right about now I could use a nice stiff drink, and well...I'll let you fill in the rest of that sentence. But instead of falling into the warm, welcoming arms of substance abuse or adolescent acting out, I'm planning a little cosmetic retail therapy this weekend.

In order to get the most satisfying bang for my buck (and because I had some time to kill this afternoon), I prowled through my local Sephora, my eyes fixed on finding some outrageously tempting new fall product. And what did I find?
Lorac's Showstopper Palette. At $35, this sleek palette contains some intensely lush colors that make me long for a black tie event.

Here's what Sephora has to say about it: "Beauty and high fashion team up for this season's hottest face palette, in the form of a collaboration between LORAC founder Carol Shaw and top Hollywood fashion stylists Estee Stanley and Cristina Ehrlich, creators of the clothing line miss davenporte. Inside the glittering box lies a beaded makeup palette - small enough for a purse but beautiful enough to carry on its own. Captivate your audience with shimmering eye shadows in Sand (pale beige), Serenity (peach tan), Luxe (golden brown), and Glamour (smoky black), and blush in Couture (golden pink rose)."

And here's what I say: Yum. Go get this palette TODAY because it's a limited edition item and a steal at $35. Lorac's palettes are amazing, and this one looks like no exception.

Da! From Russia With...Color

I was flipping through the September Lucky magazine, and man--fall is on its way. Soft, summery nails no longer grace the pages of the mags. Instead, the seemingly ubiquitous dark autumn/winter nails are popping up all over. Soon, the leaves will be changing color and a chill will be in the air. Yay!! (Fall is my favorite season, by far).

OPI is getting ready for the season by introducing a new line. In the spring/summer, OPI had us going to Australia. Well, this fall/winter, get ready for Russia. Twelve deep, sophisticated, cold-weather colors are on the market, and I'm really liking the looks of them. Some especially intriguing shades in this collection include: Siberian Nights, an "onyx" polish with a hint of deep purple, Midnight in Moscow, described as "charcoal with a hint of maroon glimmer", and Russian Navy, a sleek dark blue that would make for a fun mid-winter pedicure.

A trip to Russia is at the top of my vacation wish list, but somehow I think a mani/pedi in one of the Russia collection shades will better fit my budget and my increasingly busy schedule. I'll just be sure to add some faux fur and a nice cold shot of vodka to get the full effect!

A Case of the Mondays

I don't know about the rest of you, but today has been a long, frustrating Monday. I have been battling an annoying throat/chest cold since I got back from Vermont (I soooo have smoker's voice right now and I haven't smoked anything in over 10 years!). I could really just use some time soaking in a bubble bath...if only my bathtub were clean. *Sigh.* So, instead of a post with all the latest beauty news, I give you two adorable LOL kitties from www.icanhascheezburger.com. Enjoy!

And the Winner Is...

Congratulations to Lisa! She is the winner of my Boots No7 Restore & Renew Serum contest! Thanks to all of you who entered.

Keep an eye out for another giveaway in the near future. Until then, stay beautiful!

Beauty Product of the Week: Juice Beauty Organics To Go

What is it? Juice Beauty's trial-sized collection, Organics to Go, is "a 6-piece organic skincare starter set with anti aging benefits. This complete organic skincare routine for day and night cleanses, brightens, helps to smooth and firm, and provides essential vitamins and antioxidants for healthy, radiant skin. This set includes Cleansing Milk, Antioxidant Serum, Green Apple Peel, Hydrating Mist, and Oil-Free Moisturizer, plus an organic bamboo washcloth." Available at Sephora for $29.00.

What did you think? Since I didn't want to lug my full-sized products across the country, I picked up this kit of skin care products to try out during my recent vacation. I used these products for about two weeks, and let me just say I was glad to get home to my usual stuff.

• Cleansing Milk: this felt really creamy, which is both good and bad. It seemed like I was washing my face with moisturizer rather than a cleansing product, and I did not get a clean-skin feel from it. However, on the plus side, it didn't dry my skin out, so I guess I can't complain too much.
• Antioxidant Serum: the directions said to apply about 4 drops of this serum to freshly cleaned skin and to follow with a moisturizer. It made my skin feel slippery and over-hydrated, so I cut down to just 2 drops. I still felt a little gooey...I could only stand it for a couple of days!
• Oil-Free Moisturizer: applying this after the serum seemed like overkill. Even though this moisturizer is oil free, it is very thick and hydrating. It made my skin slick and greasy feeling. On top of that, it didn't have any extras (like SPF) in it. I much prefer my Olay!
• Hydrating Mist: according to directions, this was to be sprayed on freshly washed skin and anytime throughout the day. I was expecting a cool, refreshing mist, but instead was left with annoying drippy junk all over my skin. Mmm...sexy!
• Green Apple Peel: this is to be used once a week and exfoliates the skin. Of all the products, this was probably the best, though I must admit that I didn't get a super-soft, glowing complexion after using it. Still, it did leave my skin feeling good and clean.
• Bamboo Washcloth: some reviews I've read about this kit are all gushing and hyper-excited about the washcloth. You know me--I have to break away from the trend. I don't use washcloths and could really care less about its addition to the kit. I would have preferred an eyecream or lip balm to round out the kit. Oh well--they should have consulted me first!

The final verdict? I had high hopes for Juice Beauty's products and the Organics to Go kit seemed like a great way to try out their products. After a two week trial period, I must say I am completely unimpressed. Maybe the cleansing products I used were too hydrating for my skin type, or for this time of the year. They may be better for winter use when my skin is parched. There are a lot of high end cleansing products on the market, and based on my experience with the products in Organics to Go, I cannot see myself rushing to Juice Beauty any time in the future. How disappointing.

Don't Forget to Enter!

Sorry--no post today! I just got a nice, big raise at work and had to go out to celebrate. Woo-hoo!! Now I can afford more regular trips to Lush...maybe!

Just a quick reminder: I am giving away a free tube of Boots No7 Restore & Renew, the "miracle" anti-aging serum. Just go to this post, leave a comment, and you'll be entered to win! The drawing will be this weekend.

Good luck everyone! I'll be back with a brand new Beauty Product of the Week soon!

Fall Trends: Mauve Lips for Late Nights

I hear that my old hometown of Baltimore is currently baking under 95+ degrees of sweltering heat. Since I'm happily living in the Seattle area, I'm enjoying a beautifully overcast, 70 degree day. So for me, it's not hard to believe that the best season of the year, Autumn, is just around the corner. Department stores are stocking their fall wardrobes, and now the cosmetics companies are starting to break out new products for the upcoming season.

In a recent email I received, Estee Lauder is touting their After Hours Fall 2007 collection. For your late night face, Estee Lauder is suggesting "sensuous mauve lips and softly accented eyes." They even have a handy-dandy website listing all the products you need to get the look shown above.

Mauve lipstick is, in my opinion, pretty easy to wear and looks good on a number of different skin tones. As an added bonus, the look Estee Lauder is hyping seems easy to pull off--a soft but pretty eye combined with a well-shaped mauve lip? Sounds like a snap! It looks dressy and nighttime appropriate while still looking fresh and somewhat effortless.

I have yet to find the time to read the stack of fashion and style magazines I've collected over the past few weeks, but I am anxious to see what other trends are coming our way this fall!

GuyLiner--Hot or Not?

I just saw this brief article about men in the music world and their use of eyeliner, and it got me thinking: can men pull off the made-up look?

Sure, band boys have been wearing liner and makeup for years. Just look at Robert Smith of the Cure, Peter Murphy from Bauhaus, hell--David Bowie!--they all rocked the eyeliner thing. But they did it in a way that made them counter to the then popular culture--sort of.

Men in the artistic world can get away with it, but cosmetics for the everyday guy? I'm thinking not. I don't care that Jean Paul Gaultier has a whole line of cosmetics for men--everything from bronzers to tinted lash & brow groomers (what we call mascara)--I just don't think it's necessary.

I guess I'm a bit traditional when it comes to gender roles and make up. If a man is going for the whole gender-bending look, a sort of asexual type of image that they work hard at, makeup is totally appropriate. But men using makeup the way women do? Eh--I just leaves me cold.

What do you think: guyliner (and makeup for men)--is it a yea or a nay?

Yummy Head to Toe

Ok, this isn't really a posting about a beauty product, but I just tried a really yummy drink: Bossa Nova's Raspberry Açaí juice.

If you haven't heard of Açaí yet, it's a berry that grows in the Amazonian rain forest that tastes like chocolate and berries all rolled up in one super yummy fruit. It contains more antioxidants than almost any other fruit, and since antioxidants do amazing things like fight premature aging, I guess Açaí could be thought of as a drinkable addition to your beauty routine.

Açaí juice is getting more and more available in the US market, and for good reason: it tastes great, has so many health benefits, and hell, Americans love trendy new products. Açaí juices are often mixed with other berries and flavors, so your sure to find a blend you like. Personally, I think it would be killer with a little vodka added to it, but that could be said of most things!

Go out and try some Açaí juice! It's so yummy!

Quest for Gloss

If you're anything like me, you probably have at least a handful of lipsticks and glosses that looked amazing in the store, but look awful on you once you get them home. It's a sad fact of the cosmetics world--sometimes we can't stand the stuff we buy despite our best intentions.

In New York Magazine, one writer's quest to find the perfect pink lipgloss is chronicled. Check it out by clicking here. It's interesting to hear another person's adventures in finding the right shade. And once you read it, you'll be dying to get your own makeup custom blended for you! I know I can't wait to go over to the Prescriptives counter at Nordstrom's to get a whole "Lydia" line of makeup. I wonder if my checking account will like that? Probably not!

Lush for Life

There are a handful of stores I try to avoid--not because I hate them, but because I know that if I go in, I'll spend way too much money on stuff I really don't need. One of these places is Lush, a company that sells handmade and super yummy soaps, bubble baths, bath bombs, and other cosmetics. Well, today I finally allowed myself to visit one of their stores, and wow! I loved it.

If you are not lucky enough to have a Lush near you, visit their website (www.lush.com) to check out their amazing goods. If you have a Lush close by, get over there immediately. Even if you don't but something (and let's face it--their prices are high so buying something may not always be an option), you'll still experience blissful sensory overload. The store smells all minty, rosy, chocolaty and delicious, and my husband said the soaps looked good enough to eat--I agree completely.

Along with looking and smelling beautiful, Lush's products are handmade and not tested on animals. They contain natural ingredients and, from what I'm told, have amazing staying power. Apparently, a bar of soap from Lush will last a good while.

For my maiden voyage, I picked up a bubble bath bar, a trio of Lush's most popular bar soaps, and a honey-scented bath bomb for my 5 year old nephew. My nephew enjoyed the bath bomb so much he had to call me right after his bath to tell me how much he loved it (and me!) and that he wanted to try all the varieties. You can't get a more ringing endorsement than that!

Go get your Lush on--you'll love it, I promise!

Give It Away Now!

I was wandering around Target today and noticed my local store had a few tubes of Boots No7 Restore & Renew Beauty Serum in stock. I was surprised, and since the Restore & Renew I have is in a glass bottle and the stuff at Target is in a tube, I looked everything over really well and determined that yes, indeed this IS the Restore & Renew Serum that's getting so much buzz. I even double checked the Boots website, and yes--they have in fact repacked the stuff.

So like any good little beauty blogger, I snatched up the last two boxes, and now I am going to share the wealth: I am giving away a tube of the cult beauty product to one of my readers!

Entering to win is easy--there are no hoops to jump through. Just leave a comment on this post by midnight on Sunday, August 12th (be sure I have some way to get in touch with you) and you'll be entered to win a free tube of Restore & Renew. Or, if you'd rather, send an email to me at asklydia@hotmail.com by the 12th. The winner will be randomly selected and will be announced on Monday, August 13th.

In case you aren't familiar with Restore & Renew, click here for an earlier post about the product. Good luck!

Don't Stand So Close to Me

I don't think I'm into hair petting, but I think I'd make an exception if I ran in to this guy (Peter Steele of Type O Negative) on the street!

While on vacation, I had ample opportunity to catch up on my pointless magazine reading, and in one of my mags (Allure, maybe?) there was a brief mention about hair petting. If, like me, you haven't heard about this, apparently there is a hair petting game, the goal of which is to touch random strangers' hair while out in public without getting caught.

Hair petters have a whole set of rules and techniques for playing their game. I found a pretty good overview of the game's guidelines on hairpetting.blogspot.com and have copied it to the end of this post. There are numerous videos on youtube where hair petting players have posted their conquests.

What do you think about this "trend?" While touching someone's hair isn't aggressive or overly invasive, I don't think I'd want to be either a petter or a pettee. The whole thing is kind of...well...creepy. Some people love to have their hair touched, their heads rubbed, etc....I am not one of those people. And going around touching people's hair yucks me out a bit. People don't always wash their hair regularly, and while I don't have a germ phobia, I don't like the idea of touching potentially dirty things when I don't have to.

That said, I do love running my hands through my husband's long locks and rubbing down my nephew's mohawk/crew cut (or whatever he has at the time!). I guess I'm on the fence about the whole thing. It may be fun for others, but I have no desire to join in! Leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts.

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The Hair Petting Game Guidelines

The point of the game is to pet some hair...without getting caught!

Whoever earns the most points, wins. Extra points for more difficult pets.

IF you are caught, you MUST play it cool. Never, ever ever blow your hair petting cover, or you will not win the game.

DISCLAIMER: It is the responsibility of the PETTER to choose the appropriate time, place and especially PETTEE.

FOR EXAMPLE: Rush hour or tourist spots are prime Hair Petting Game Time. On the other hand, petting in a desolate area, alone at night might not be a winning strategy. In terms of pettee selection, a potential pettee who appears angry and looks capable of inflicting great bodily harm on you may not be the best choice. Petting children is not recommended, especially by men. Be a petter-phile, not a pedophile. Strategize appropriately to maximize your petting potential!

TECHNIQUES:

The Palm-to-Fingertip Pet
The simplest hair pet there is. Starting at the base of the palm, pet in a downward motion, ending at the fingertips. POINT VALUE: 1 point per pet. Multiple pets possible.

The Pony Tail Grab
Wrap the entire hand around the pony tail. POINT VALUE: If pettee is staionary, 2 points per one-one-thousand-count. If pettee is on the move, 5 points per one-one-thousand-count.

The Double Pet
Petting two separate heads of hair within an 8 second time frame (without getting caught!)
Point system is based on the technique used, but the points are doubled.

The Celebrity Pet
Spotting a celebrity and petting him/her without getting caught is a challenge. First you need to find an unsuspecting celebrity. Then you must pet the hair without a body guard intervening. POINT VALUE: 1 million points *Celebrity friends "pretending" to be petted do not count.*

The Crew Cut Pet
This is for hair 1 inch or shorter. Difficult to pet! Just brushing the hair with the hand counts as a pet. POINT VALUE: 10 points

The Bald Pet
Is this even possible to do without getting caught? POINT VALUE: 1 Billion points

The Mohawk Pet
Mohawks are rare. Finding and petting one should be commended. Careful of the product goop. POINT VALUE: 100 Points

The Mullet Pet
Mullets are funny, and oh-so-petable! But be careful. Those who rock the mullet are scientifically proven to have shorter tempers. POINT VALUE: Girl Mullet - 10 Points Boy Mullet - 20 points

HAIR PETTING TIPS:

It is always a good idea to carry Purell in your purse or pocket. Because you can never be sure where that hair has been!

Sneakers are a good choice of footwear. Dress shoes are loud and can draw unwanted attention to even the most secret of hair petters. Sneakers can also come in handy In the unlikely event you need to make a quick escape. If you're playing the game properly you should not be detected. Having to run away results in disqualification.

Pretending to talk on the phone is another good way to distract the pettee from suspecting anything. How can you be petting hair if you're talking on the phone?

Using the phrases "Excuse Me," "Oh, I'm sorry" and smiling are always helpful if the pettee turns their head mid-pet. Play it off, and by the time the pettee has processed through his/her confusion, suspicion, and doubt, you will be long gone.

So there you have it. The Hair Petting Game that's sweeping the nation.

Don't be Scared - Pet Some Hair!

Back to Normal!

My 10-day vacation has come to an end, and I can honestly say I'm glad to be back in Washington! Vermont was lovely, peaceful, etc., but I am happy to be home, out of the stupid airplane, hanging with my kitties.

I'll be up and blogging as soon as I unpack all my junk and get readjusted to Pacific Time. I have all sorts of things to tell you about, like my experiment with Juice Beauty, some new (to me) products I picked up in VT, and some of my usual random thoughts. Heck, I may just throw in a chance for you to win some of the products I love.

So...watch this space! I'll be back to business in no time!