Clumps of Mascara does a neutral eye and poppin’ lip video tutorial.

The Product Pasha teaches you how to reproduce the unique looks Tarte and Tina Turnbow created for New York Fashion Week.

Butterflydiary is already in love with Givenchy’s Summer 2010 Frangipani collection.

Krasey Beauty shows you her fashion week makeup looks. Which one is your favorite?

The Beauty Alchemist tests Ellis Faas cosmetics.

DivaDebbi tries the newest from Cover Girl’s Simply Ageless collection.

Comfortable, creamy and fluid – or so the packaging says – but anything made by Clarins not only comes in a pretty package (in this case it’s a frosted glass pump with a gold cap), it delivers with more reliability than Fedex Priority Overnight.

The new foundation kid on the block is the Clarins Everlasting Foundation (yes, it will continue to live on long after we mortals reach our expiration date).

The product claims to have the staying power of 15 hours (we haven’t tested it, so we don’t know, but we’re going to – believe me). It contains Clarins’ exclusive Light-Optimizing Complex that helps erase those Mariana trenches called wrinkles and crows feet.

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One day post the windy, snowy and blustery day in New York, I ventured to Christo’s famous salon in New York City to get a small touch up on my hairdo (you’ll remember, maybe that I had had my hair done weeks ago by Zahir from the Red Door Spa at the W Hotel Blogger lounge). It was not exactly a Miss Congeniality moment (no that moment was months ago when I think Sandra Bullock PRE-preening would have looked much better than me), but my hair was starting to look a little “bob” predictable. Take a look at me BEFORE:

Le Mug Shot

What Christo did when he saw my hair (and I told him explicitly I didn’t want it any shorter than this — wasn’t really going for the Posh Spice meets Running with Scissors or Dalai Lama Sports a Weave look).

Christo is extremely well known for his expertise in treating curly hair. He looks at hair as your most important accessory (your Bulgari or Neil Lane diamonds will only complement your ‘do). He’s a regular during the Fashion Week backstage scene and takes enormous pride in creating his superior products (he told me a single bottle can cost about $35,000 to create and bring to market).

His Curlisto system emphasizes hydration (curls need more moisture love), reform and control.

The system shown above is for Vibrant Curly hair and typically retails for $113 (it’s on sale now for only $56.50 so grab it while you can). On his web page, shop.curlisto.com, you can find several other terrific hair product deals.

His most recent and “jewel in the crown” product is the Hair Rehab System, which I am so psyched to try (I’ll keep you posted on how it goes in a few days). As the name implies, this really is a system for extremely overprocessed, brittle, over colored, malnourished and frankly “beaten down the trenches” hair. This is for the Lindsay Lohan and Keith Richards strands on your head, people!!!

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Philosophy’s marriage to color cosmetics was a little delayed but Hallelujah and raining snowflakes it has happened! You can get the pink-toned Color of Grace collection on QVC, and we’re loving some favorites like the ones below:

Coloring Book: $37.50

Not Your Boyfriend’s Shaving Brush

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These four circles of jeweled eye color from Stila Cosmetics are truly a joy to behold and a little treasure to put in your pocketbook. This limited edition eyeshadow palette promises your eyes a “sequin-like” reflection, and delivers a subtle glitter (thank goodness not like the over the top, in your face glitter like some of the Christmas decorations) so you can actually bedazzle during work and evening hours.

Now, what you see is a subtle sheen, but my camera didn’t do an extremely good job of capturing all the glitter flecks everywhere so be warned they there will remind your eyeshadow a tad of subtle tinsel town.

Above, I’ve swatched the Rose Quartz shade. Below is the Amethyst shade.

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We pamper our skin much more than men do, but let’s face the counterintuitive fact that our skin also ages faster. Who would have guessed that our foundation is responsible for this cruel and unusual punishment?
Moisturizing claims aside, any foundation dries out the skin. When skin becomes dehydrated it creases more easily, resulting in fine lines or a sagging appearance. Dry, mature skin gets even more dehydrated by foundation, causing even more lines and wrinkles. On the cosmetic side, dry foundation becomes powdery, cracks, flakes and settles into fine lines, accentuating their appearance. So when you apply foundation to cover the signs of aging, you’re using the same thing that’s causing the problem.

Skindinävia breaks this downward spiral with a novel product called 10 Years Younger, which turns your foundation into a moisturizing treatment. It basically takes the makeup you have, regardless of the brand, and perfects it for you. It greatly slows down your foundation’s ability to steal moisture from the skin and then makes it give back the water it takes. The result is a dewy, luminous finish that sits on the surface of the skin, glossing over the appearance of lines and uneven skin tone. It also acts as a post-makeup primer by keeping your makeup fresh and in place for up to 16 hours.

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I was recently introduced to A Beautiful Life Natural Nail Lacquers recently, and since I’m a sucker for anything vegetarian and vegan, particularly in the beauty stratosphere, I was intrigued as Heidi Montag is to cosmetic surgery.

The line recently launched with 12 beautiful and satiny shades. Check out three of the nail polish shades swatched below.

I love this shade called 80′s Pink, which is more of a sheer ballet pink gone punk, in my opinion. It’s very spring-y and also apropos for the summer months.

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Givenchy’s Summer 2010 Makeup Collection is almost here (as in, a few months past the Siberian winter we’ve been having here).

Shown here are pieces I’ve been coveting like the Penny Black Stamp (a priceless collectible):

Givenchy Fleur de Frangipanier (Frangipani Flower)

The shades available are Island Sun and Island Tan.

Givenchy Le Prisme Yeux Island Camaïeu (Eye Palette in the island shade of Camaieu)

These come in the shades Island Lagoon and Island Sand.

Your darling Givenchy Phenomen’ Eyes is now Waterproof in shades of Black, Brown and Turquoise (only available across the pond, darlings).

Your lips need the Givenchy Pop Gloss Crystal Sun in shades of Sun Guava, Sun Papaya, Sun Cocoa.

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No one expects a crop of heavy perfume for spring and summer, but the perfumers have outdone themselves to bring to life fruity florals with unexpected notes like tomato leaf and green tea. Sambac jasmine, patchouli, and musk also make appearances in more than one product. I recently sampled the latest olfactory offerings. I might have been lying in a field of artistically arranged wildflowers.

For an intense burst of sunshine, Aqua di Parma’s Blu Mediterraneo new scent, Bergamotto di Calabria. This eau de toilette with top notes of bergamot (surprise,) a middle of cedar wood and red ginger, and a base of vetiver, Benzoin, and musk made me want to curl up and take a nap in an orange grove. It’s available at sephora.com in 60ml ($70) and 120ml ($106), as well as a soft body cream ($67) for layering.

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Let me confess that I’ve been eager to try this no chip gel mani and pedi using OPI’s Axxium Soak-Off Nail Lacquers and recently one email in my inbox caught my eye.

Allure Magazine had named this product as a beauty breakthrough (like the Smashbox Primer and other staples that I love) so I figured I really need to investigate Axxium, though I knew I was late to the OPI tea party.

These are some images from Posh Nail Spa in Dallas, TX (which obviously, I haven’t been to) but the nails look flawless I had to blog about it. The way the Axxium Gel Soak-Off Gel Lacquer system works is essentially the same system as any other manicure, but you have to soak off the color to remove it.

The system consists of a soak-off gel base, a soak-off gel sealer, and a soak-off gel lacquers in 26 shades. It typically retails for anywhere from $40-$50.

These manis typically last 2-3 weeks without chipping, which, in the interest of pure unadulterated value and the anti nail-chip movement (remember that article from the New York Times last year about how chipped nails were in vogue? Eeek!), I totally adore.

The nail lacquer is UV cured for no chip, long lasting than an everlasting gobstopper results, and actually strengthens nails.

Pretty pics, huh? I’m going to get my nails done soon in NYC so stay tuned to find out if that 2-3 week claim really holds water. These pictures came courtesy of the Posh Nail Spa in Dallas.

3501 McKinney Avenue
Dallas, TX 75204-4517
(214) 219-7674

Have you tried the OPI Axxium Soak-Off Gel Mani or Pedi? Tell us your thoughts. We’re dying to know!