Oct 30, 2012

All About Yves…

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Not the back-stabbing, steal your life, ingenue Eve, today we’re talking Yves St. Laurent.  I could easily go on a rant about YSL’s beautifully crafted clothing and accessories line, but today is reserved for gloss and gloss alone.  Yves St. Laurent Golden Gloss is and always has been my very favorite lip gloss out there.  With 27 different shades to choose from, finding one that will work for you won’t be a problem.  Each shade,  makes your lips radiate sophistication and glamour by way of  24 carat gold flecks that comprise 0.2% of this product, making this item  “worth its weight in gold”…literally.

At $30, this gloss is priced competitively, but none of its competitors come close with regards to texture, variety and scent.  I’m a scent oriented gal and this one is scented ever so slightly with a hint of mango.  Yummy and gorgeous, not bad for a lip gloss!  Unlike similar products that can be greasy and sticky,  YSL Golden Gloss nourishes your pout without leaving your lips stuck together.  As far as glosses go, this one is perfection!

Available at most department stores at the YSL cosmetic counter, online at yslbeautyus.com and at sephora.com, I promise you this gloss won’t disappoint.  I have what others call olive skin and it is most difficult to find a gloss that suits my skin tone without making me look like a pre-pubescent girl or a porn star…THIS is that gloss!

So happy shopping…Gloss on Glamour Gals…xo Elisa

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Oct 25, 2012

Scents….and Sensibility….

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With summer over, gone is the sunshine, the heat, the humidity and thankfully the odor of those that don’t shower often enough.  No need to worry, I’m not “going there…”

Today’s post is all about scents (the sensibility will come later, I promise).  I am fairly certain that most of you have a signature fragrance, not necessarily by choice, but by mere convenience.  Someone bought you a bottle of perfume once and that’s what you wear, or you smelled something amazing on someone else and now wear their fragrance.  Like with people, your relationship with a perfume depends on chemistry.  You don’t pick your friends because someone you know says, “this is my friend, she should be yours too.”  You have to get to know someone and see if your personalities click.  Perfume is not much different, it mixes with your body’s chemistry and really does react differently with each and every person who wears it.  Having said that, I seem to have dug myself into a bit of a hole!  Since this blog recommends products I love and use and my body chemistry is obviously different from yours, what do we do?

We do what all smart fashionistas do, we look to Tom Ford for the answer.  With his collection of 18 different scents, Tom Ford’s Private Blend Fragrances  have something for everyone.  My personal taste leans toward the warm, spicy, vanilla blend of the Tabacco Vanille, but I’ve also been known to wear the Noir de Noir.  The entire collection is rich and aromatic, and is meant to be enjoyed in the same way you’d appreciate a really, great cup of brewed coffee or a really fine wine.  These fragrances do not disappoint.

At this point in the blog I generally send you off on your next shopping expedition and hope you’ll be as pleased with the product as I am.  Today however I feel it is my responsibility to address the sensibility issue  I mentioned earlier on.  Much like make-up and other cosmetic products, perfume is meant to enhance your already beautiful self.  When applying perfume you needn’t douse yourself in it, simply spray it directly in front of you and walk through it.  If people know you’ve arrived before you’ve actually entered the room, you know you’ve over done it.

So here is where the fun stops, sometimes I have to be the heavy, it’s not what I enjoy but alas, such is a blogger’s life.  No one said smelling delicious would come cheap, but if you heed my “sensibility warning” above, you’ll go through a lot less perfume and have something that will smell truly unique and last a long time.  So here goes:   Tom Ford Private Blend Fragrances are available at neimanmarcus.com and at flagship Sephora stores throughout the globe, they retail from $205 – $495.  What with Christmas around the corner, this would make a decadent and extremely generous gift.

So smell pretty, happy shopping…and don’t hate me because I smell good…  🙂

xo Elisa

 

 

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Oct 20, 2012

Chance to win BIG…

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Hello loyal readers/goddesses of beauty…I have details of a contest that may interest you…Sephora is offering a variety of prizes, but most importantly you and two friends can win a trip to one of Canada’s Flagship Stores and $2500 in Sephora gift cards.  If this interests you, as it did me, here is the link to enter:  win.sephora.ca

Good luck y’all!  Gosh I really hope one of us wins…

Happy Weekend…xo Elisa

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Oct 18, 2012

A Hazy Shade of Winter…

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While everyone is putting their beach bags away, stuffing their swimsuits into drawers that won’t open again until next year, there remains one item that people often forget to leave out and actually use during the winter months.  Sunscreen is that item.  We all tend to think that with winter on its way sunscreen is a thing of season’s past.  That is just not the case, every dermatologist will tell you the importance sunscreen plays in preventing your skin from aging all too rapidly.  That doesn’t mean you can’t still look good while using it!  I am not referring to your beach day sunscreen that leaves your skin chalky white.   Todays products, of which there are 2, (I’m all about the choices these days) do double duty, they both have an SPF 15 (0r higher) and they both keep your skin from turning that horrid shade of Blah, that most skin turns during the winter months.

I am caucasian and yet come winter time I don’t turn pasty white like most, I get this ever so unflattering shade of gray, not so pretty.  Were it not for Amore Pacific Time Response Skin Renewal Foundation the last two winters I’d have turned 50 Shades of Gray (not in the good way I assure you).  Not only does this stuff smell amazing, it doesn’t clog your pores, stimulates skin cell renewal, decreases collagen loss for healthier, younger looking skin and most importantly it lights up your face so that you look like you have the worlds clearest complexion.  Not bad for curing the mid winter skin Blahs.  (available at neimanmarcus.com for $90).

Your second choice for SPF winter skin perfection is Giorgio Armani’s New Maestro Foundation.  This is new on the market, but as promised I’ve tested it and I have to say it’s pretty wonderful.  I am not a lover of foundation’s in general, they tend to clog my pores, feel very present on my face, like I’m wearing a second skin.  With Armani’s Maestro Foundation I felt nothing on my skin at all and my face looked great all day, 2 very big plusses in my book.  It comes in 12 different shades, so finding a match shouldn’t be a problem and you’ll find it at any Giorgio Armani Cosmetic counter for $62 u.s.  (neimanmarcus.com, saks.com).

I am quite certain you’ll find that both of today’s featured products will revolutionize your winter complexion.  Bye bye blahs…Hello gorgeous skin!

So this winter, treat your skin kindly, stay out of tanning booths, (orange is not the shade I was referring to in the title) and feel great.

“Look around, leaves are brown, there’s a patch of snow on the ground.”

xo Elisa

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Oct 11, 2012

In Lieu of Dairy Queen…

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So over the last few months I’ve taken up a healthier lifestyle, at least where food is concerned.  I’ve tried to cut down my intake and cut out my meals where the 3 main food groups were chocolate, ice cream and marshmallow fluff.  I am however a very reward oriented person and need some kind of “treat” at the end of the work week to make me feel gratified.  Some would call that reward a paycheck, but that doesn’t cut it for me literally and figuratively.  Dairy Queen (peanut buster parfait or Reese’s/banana blizzard) was my go to “prize,” but when that started to be my dinner of choice I knew I needed something else.  I finally got some much-needed discipline and rejoined the world of healthy eating.  This however left me rewardless (don’t get your kleenex out just yet, this story gets better), what else could I treat myself with other than food?

Which brings me to today’s reward-worthy product.  Josie Maran’s Argan Hot Oil Self-Heating Hair Treatment is that product.  Once a week I treat myself to this absolutely delicious experience.  This is not your Mother’s Hot Oil Treatment!  This is a no fuss, no muss self heating oil that comes in this little easy to open ampoule that you empty into your hands and rub onto your ends after you’ve shampooed and conditioned your hair.  Leave it in for 3 minutes and BAM! gorgeous, soft, shiny, amazingly manageable hair.  It’s paraben free and cruelty free and most importantly has left me 20 lbs thinner…(well that’s because I turned to Hot Oil instead of Ice Cream).  I seriously look forward to this treatment all week-long.  My hair is stronger,  healthier and if you massage it into your scalp like I do, it gets shinier.  The warming sensation is a fun little bonus too.  I love this stuff!  When you purchase it, you get 5 ampoules that are resealable (though I use the whole thing) and every time I’ve bought it, there was a sample of Josie Maran’s Argan Oil Serum inside, a double bonus because I use that too as a frizz fighter.  FYI Josie Maran’s products are also featured at Sephora.com, this one will only set your back $36, which is really a little more than a dollar a treatment (not only do I blog, I have some mad math skills as well).

So treat yourself to something special this week and something that is really good for you too…but trust me, I haven’t completely broken up with Dairy Queen, we’re just seeing other people right now.

Enjoy and keep shining…xo Elisa

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Oct 9, 2012

Tony! Toni! Tone!….Toner!!!

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Generally the second step of any skin care regimen, toning is often overlooked as an essential part of complexion maintenance.  Like the strength training you do at the gym (I say “you” because, well frankly I don’t do gyms), to make your muscles stronger, toning does the same thing to your skin.  A good toner doesn’t rid your face of excess dirt or oils, your cleanser should do that, nor does it strip your face of the essential oils it needs to stay hydrated.  Toners help to strengthen and balance your skin so it looks as good as it should and readies it for your next step, be it serum or moisturizer.

Before I “reveal” today’s recommended product I will stress that an alcohol free toner is always the way to go.  Alcohol doesn’t penetrate below the skin’s service and does nothing more than dry your skin from the outside, leaving your skin deceivingly matte, when in fact the oils below are still very much there and planning a revolution on your face.  Toners should balance your skin’s ph levels leaving yours skin healthy and well…toned.  So today I offer another two-fer, simply because I use 2 different toners.  (You do not have to, I am merely a crazy person.)  The first is my morning wake up call, Origin’s A Perfect World Age Defense Treatment Lotion, if the scent doesn’t win you over, its gentle, non sticky texture absolutely will.  Not too oily, not too drying (it’s alcohol free), its pure bliss on your skin and at $22 it’s very affordable.   My number 2 choice is my evening toner, Amore Pacific Treatment Toner, another aromatically pleasing scent.  This too is just toning perfection, it balances my skin and leaves it moisturized without feeling oily or sticky (again, alcohol free).  It costs a bit more at $40/bottle, but I assure you it is money well spent.  My face is smooth and dewy fresh when I wake up the next morning.  Both toners are available at sephora.com.

So with winter coming, take good care of your skin…and don’t forget step 2 in your skin care regimen, whichever one you chose.

Happy Shopping…xo Elisa

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Oct 4, 2012

I always wanted to be Sydney Bristow…

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When it began in 2001, Alias, starring Jennifer Garner was just about my favorite program on tv.  Like the Bionic Woman (my 1st favorite tv show), Alias had a female lead who was sensitive and tough as nails all in one.  Sydney Bristow kicked some serious butt as a member of SD6, a secret division of the CIA (which turned out to be a fraud agency), but that’s plot related and we’re talking products here.

So today’s featured item is essentially the Sydney Bristow of zit covering.  It’s another fairly new product in my arsenal, but I’ve fallen fast and hard and I’m pretty sure you will do the same.  It’s Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil and holy wow this stuff is amazing!  Like the infamous “Chubby” of blog’s past, this too looks like a rather stout lip pencil, but what it does is virtually erase any evidence of a blemish on your face.   It kicks the butt of any other spot concealer I have ever used, and it’s so user-friendly.  All you need is this stick and your finger (though I do prefer to use a synthetic make up brush). Put the tip of the pencil to your affected area and just pat it with your finger/brush.  That’s it!  It goes on creamy, dries like a powder and leaves no evidence of either on your face.  If I didn’t use it myself,  I’d never believe something could work this well.  Oh and at $18  ($22 in Canada) it’s a steal!!! (Urbandecay.com, sephora.com).  However the best part of this secret zit weapon is the variety of shades it comes in, all of which are named after government agencies, DEA, CIA, NSA, ATF, etc.

As an animal lover I’m also happy to tell you they are all vegan (which kind of makes you wonder what  some of the other concealers are made from…yikes).

So essentially with Urban Decay’s 24/7 Concealer Pencil, I finally get to feel like Sydney Bristow, taking on villains (in the form of acne and dark circles) and working for a high-powered government agency ( the NSA, that’s my shade).

I hope you all enjoy your undercover mission!  Happy shopping.

xo Elisa

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