
December 2010 Archives

At a holiday event back in October (we love celebrating the holidays months in advance, don’t you?), we were introduced to the fabulousness that is L’Occitane Pure Shea Butter. We’d heard of it before, we’d seen it in their stores, but we’d (gasp!) never given it a try. Believe us when we say we’d made a grave error in judgment by not jumping on the shea butter bandwagon a whole lot sooner!Not only does Pure Shea Butter contain antioxidizing Vitamin E to nourish and moisturize the skin, but it’s formulated with more than 95 percent organic shea butter from Fair Trade women’s cooperatives in Burkina Faso, West Africa. There are three amazing scents that were just introduced for holiday:
Orange Honey (enriched with organic honey)
Apricot Flower (enriched with organic apricot oil)
Vineyard Rose (enriched with organic rosehip oil)
We’ve found that this product glides onto skin smoothly and easily, leaving behind no greasy residue or slick finish. We think it’s perfect for extra-dry areas like elbows and knees — in just days, the rough patches were gone and replaced with smooth, baby-soft skin. L’Occitane has done one better, though — and has created a list of the 50 Ways to Use Pure Shea Butter! From applying to scars to speed up healing time to boosting hair volume by applying to your roots, this guide is packed with intriguing ways to shea.
And the best part yet? Each Pure Shea Butter retails for only $15 at usa.loccitane.com. Talk about a true treat for the skin!

Truth be told, we’re addicted to mascara. The longer it makes our lashes, the better. And if we’re wearing our glasses and our lashes are brushing up against them? We consider the mascara a complete success.At the top of our list right now is most definitely M.A.C Haute & Naughty Lash. This mascara features a dual-wiper system that allows you to customize and build the coverage upon your lashes to your liking. (If you’re like us, you want to look like you’re wearing falsies.)
The packaging is truly intriguing. One wiper refines the application for a clean sweep across the lashes, while the other liberally packs the mascara onto lashes for unbelievably strong impact. The “wipers” are both contained within the top of the tube — the pink contains the smaller wand, while the purple holds the bigger.
We’ve actually found that applying two coats with the pink wand makes our lashes look unbelievable for every day. One coat with the purple wand adds full-on drama for night.
M.A.C Haute & Naughty Lash retails for $18 at maccosmetics.com.
IT’S TIME TO HYDRATE!
This is true regardless of whether you’ve got a fancy party to go to, really - but drinking lots of water will only help your skin. Facialists and aestheticians really do know what they’re talking about when they tell you to drink up - your skin will be fresh, rejuvenated and so healthy-looking. Not to mention it’s always good to have lots of water in your system before downing any alcoholic beverages. We recommend drinking at least 1.5 liters a day, if not 2 full liters.
GET YOUR GLOW ON
You’re rushing out the door to a party and don’t really have time for a full face of makeup. Not a problem - just reach for a balm that, when applied to your cheeks and contours, gives you just the right amount of glow. We love Clarins Beauty Flash Balm ($45 at clarins.com) - a little bit really goes a long way to providing radiance and luminosity.
GO FOR THE GLITZ
The holidays are definitely the time for a little (or a lot!) of sparkle. Why not make your eyes stand out with a glittery eyeshadow? Our favorites are definitely by NARS, Stila and M.A.C (like NARS Single Eyeshadow in Etrusque, above — $23 at beauty.com) — they all have amazing colors in every hue imaginable.

LET YOUR NAILS DO THE TALKING
When else can your nails be super blingy and yet no one will bat an eye … except to tell you how fabulous they look? The holidays are the perfect time to break out that sparkly polish you’ve been dying to wear but thought better of all year long. Try one with serious wow factor like butter LONDON Victoriana 3 Free Nail Lacquer ($14 at beauty.com) we guarantee people’s eyes won’t be looking anywhere else but at your hands.
get the scoop
