New Line Alert: Kardashian Beauty

Do those Kardashians ever sleep? Everyone's fave reality TV family now has their hand in beauty, with the launch of Kardashian Glamour Tan, a moisturizing self tanning gel with antioxidants and vitamins A, C and D. What's really interesting about this self tanner is it's currently the only one available with Imudulin, an ingredient responsible for stimulating vitamin D synthesis, which can help lessen the look of lines and wrinkles. 

Kardashian Glamour Tan is available as of today at Sephora. I have yet to try it, but I wonder if it can live up to my beloved Shiseido Brilliant Bronze Tinted Self Tanning Gel in Medium Tan that I can only seem to find at Amazon and Macys since the whole no more Shiseido in the U.S. thing. 

Lord knows those Kardashians love their tans, so I think this product could potentially be a winner. Pick it up at Sephora.

A Good Brow Pencil is Hard to Find

Since I have fine, sparse, light brows, filling them in is an absolute must for me, even if I'm just running a quick errand or going to the gym. I envy the girls with full, perfectly shaped brows (Kim K I'm talking to you!) So of course I've searched high and low for the perfect brow product, which is pretty damn hard to find! Especially at mass. I did manage to find two stand out brow pencils - at splurge/steal prices! 

The jury is still out on pencil vs. powder, but I'm a pencil girl and here's why: it actually looks much more natural if you're applying correctly, i.e. in short, feathered strokes, then blending with a brow brush (make sure pencil is freshly sharpened). Powders, at least on me, look too heavily applied and opaque, but some people swear by them. So, to each his own I guess.

Anastasia Brow Whiz: Naturally, the woman that basically invented perfect brows would have my favorite brow product of all time. Brow Whiz is a super skinny pencil that creates perfect arches in seconds. The pencil is so small and slim some might wonder how this even does anything, but the size is the key - when using short strokes, it mimics drawing in little brow hairs so the effect is perfectly polished, yet natural. Plus there's a little spooly brush on the other end to blend. Available in three, very versatile colors: Ash Blonde, Medium Ash and Brunette. I'm a light blonde and can switch back and forth between Ash and Medium Ash so play around and see what works for you. Available at Sephora for $20.

Searching for a good brow pencil at mass is as useless as searching for meaning in a Pauly Shore movie. (please tell me you picked up on this movie reference) But, I managed to find the only good mass brow product (in my opinion) in Revlon Brow Fantasy, a dual-ended stick with a pencil on one end to fill in and a sheer, tinted gel on the other to set. Again, make sure the pencil is super sharp and apply with short strokes in direction of hair growth. I love the tinted gel on the end because it adds a little more definition, while setting all day and doing a final groom. Available in Dark Blonde, Brunette and Dark Brown for under $7 a piece. Pick it up at drugstores.

So are you a pencil or powder girl?

Keep Your Cool in Hot Weather

So unless you've refused to leave your house in the past few days, chances are you've noticed it's H-O-T outside (hovering around 90 to be exact). I was shlepping around the city the other day meeting with a temp agency (unfortunately momma needs a day job while she moonlights as freelance writer/blogger/future NYT best-selling author) and I literally blew into the lobby like a tornado, profusely sweating, trying to change from my TB flats into my 4-inch heels while not falling over. The heat really snuck up on me, (wasn't it 50 not too long ago?), otherwise I would have been prepared with my favorite freshen-up products. Check them out below. 

Avalon Organics Deodorant Spray is a product I never would have picked up and bought, but in my former PR girl life, we represented this company and I got to try this for free and I am absolutely hooked. I don't actually use it as a stand-alone deodorant, but it's a-mazing as an all-over body spray/refresher. These deodorants are so pure and natural they only contain alcohol and essential oils. The alcohol kills bacteria so you're nice and fresh, while the essential oils nourish and uplift. My fave scents are Grapefruit & Geranium and Rosemary & Mint. I spray all over my body, in my shoes, on my sheets, you name it. Store in the fridge for an extra burst of cool.

It may seem a little silly to pay $10 for mineral water in a spray form, but Evian Mineral Water Spray does the job of like 80 products. This cool and refreshing mist (again, store in fridge for ultimate refreshing experience) rehydrates, revives makeup, removes perspiration, salt and chlorine (bring it to the beach!), and also instantly soothes sunburned skin. Obviously it goes without saying, but when spritzing your face, keep the bottle a reasonable distance away; you want to mist yourself, not look like you've dumped a bottle of water over your head. 

What's your favorite summer refresher?

Hazel & Harlow Partners with Borghese for Promotion

Designer shopping site Hazel & Harlow, which sells their own signature collection of antique, French-inspired jewelry, in addition to creations from both emerging and established designers, is partnering with luxe skin care and cosmetics line Borghese, in honor of its Fango line's 35th anniversary, for a spring beauty giveaway worth $250! 

All you have to do is click here to visit the giveaway site, enter your name and email and you're done. The giveaway ends June 1st, where a winner will be randomly selected to receive a Hazel & Harlow signature Antiqued Flower in a Frame pendant, Borghese Fango Active Mud for Face and Body, Fango Delicato Active Mud for Delicate, Dry Skin and Fango Brillante Brightening Mud Mask for Face and Body.

Also be sure to sign up for last minute sale alerts on Hazel & Harlow, where you can receive 40-50% off by visiting their twitter page here.

Sandals Vacay Sale on Rue La La!

While not exactly beauty related, I had to let you all know about the Sandals Luxury Included Resort (aka all meals, drinks and activities like scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking are included) sale on Rue La La that starts this morning at 11am. Sandals Resorts are absolutely to DIE for, and if you're in the market for a vacay soon, (have to book between June 18th-August 31st of this year for a 3, 5, or 7-night stay) reserve one of these trips now!

Sandals Whitehouse, Jamaica

Mr. M and I actually did a 10-day Sandals trip to St. Lucia (we stayed at the Grande St. Lucian, there's three resorts, which is unfortunately not included in this sale) for our honeymoon and when all was said and done it ended up being five figures, (and that was with 65% off the regular price deal we go) which is expensive for a vacay, but so worth it. The food is stellar and so authentic whether you're eating at an Italian, French, Japanese, etc. restaurant. Also the staff is SO nice, accommodating, helpful and basically just want to make your trip as perfect as possible. We've been to Turks & Caicos and St. Lucia and the experiences were both first class all the way.

Sandals Grande Antigua

Also, in addition to the standard hotels, Sandals Resorts offer private villas with your own pool and butler, and you can add on extras (for a fee) such as private airport transfers, private candelit dinners on the beach, booze cruises, horseback riding, and a ton of other stuff. Several resorts also have golf courses on site, which are free.

If you're not a member of Rue La La, score an invite with this link. http://www.ruelala.com/invite/lrmbeauty and book your vacay now!

Limited Edition La Mer

Put the words limited edition and La Mer in the same sentence and I'm there. The ultimate luxe moisturizer just announced its fifth anniversary partnership with Oceana, the world's leading international ocean advocacy organization. To celebrate, La Mer created a 100ml limited edition World Ocean's Day blue Creme de la Mer jar and will make a $200,000 donation to Oceana.

Maybe it's the Cancer in me, but I am such a sucker for anything with an ocean scene/theme and I love the blue La Mer. This is also historic since La Mer has never altered its packaging until now. Quantities are limited; so get thee to lamer.com, or participating Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus or Bergdorf Goodman locations to scoop yours up. Retail price is $310. An investment? Of course. But, a La Mer purchase is always justified (super concentrated, lasts forever, God's gift to moisturizers, you get the picture), especially for a lovely limited edition such as this. 

World Oceans Day
Created in 1992 and made official by the United Nations in 2009, World Oceans Day takes place annually on June 8th and is a day to recognize the sea’s importance as a vital ecosystem and take action to preserve its delicate habitats and wildlife. With over 300,000 members in 150 countries, Oceana’s science-based policies have greatly reduced over-fishing and protected threatened marine habitats.

For more information about World Oceans Day and the partnership between La Mer and Oceana, please visit www.lamer.com/oceana.

Thank you Pureology

It's as if someone at Pureology read my mind. I love love love Pureology's Hydrate collection (purple bottles) because it smells divine, has this refreshing tingly feeling and really quenches dry hair (all while keeping color in tact - what more could you ask for?) BUT, sometimes it does its job too well and leaves my fine hair a little over-moisturized if you catch my drift. I was so happy to learn that Pureology just added Hydrate LightCondition and Hydrate HydraWhip to the lineup. Fine-haired girls no longer have to choose between volume and moisture!

Hydrate LightCondition with natural jojoba and shea butters, in addition to strengthening proteins of soy, oat and wheat, leave hair super soft without weighing it down. 

Hydrate HydraWhip is a rich souffle with avocado, jojoba and shea butters, combined with rosemary, sage and green tea replenish and quench dry, fine hair. This is the deep conditioner that should be used once a week or once every two weeks. 

The key to achieving perfectly moisturized hair without making it flat as a board lies in Pureology's Hydrating Micro-Emulsion Technology, which penetrates the hair shaft while leaving strands with body and bounce. And of course, each contain AntiFade Complex to neutralize free radicals and retain color. 

LightCondition will set you back $27 and HydraWhip goes for $45. Pureology certainly isn't cheap, but it's luxurious, high quality hair care that's vegan and super concentrated, so you might just notice it lasts twice as long as your $5 drugstore confection. Visit Pureology.com to locate a salon to purchase.