Oh so Gold gloss

I was meeting a friend for drinks on the Upper West Side the other night and sure enough a wind storm pulled me inside Space NK (darn winds).  Space NK (for those of you who don't know) is a UK based apothecary that hit NYC nearly two years ago.  The shops include fragrance, skin care, makeup, hair, candles, etc.; a boutique of cult beauty goods.  

Anyway, I was immediately drawn to Lipstick Queen's Shine in Gold Saint. This tacky, sticky, glop of a pot is out of the handbag of a sexy woman in the 70's at Studio 54.  

at least that's the visual.  I put it on and could barely open my mouth (I know to some of you this sounds like a blessing), but for real, not a good look. 

Obsessed with the idea of purchasing something gold and fabulous I visited NARS next and was not disappointed.  Moon Fleet is absolutely gorgeous.  It is wet and creamy with teeny tiny gold speckles that when in light glow like fourth of July fireworks!!  I love this gloss because it's effortless; you don't have to try to accomplish glam it is an immediate effect!! $24 at http://spacenk.com.  

Eye makeup remover

My friend Natalie and I went to Central Park for the day on Saturday and had one of those excellent New York City days, where we strolled through the park, soaked in some sun, lounged like lazy lions (are lions lazy?), stopped for wine at a great spot called Wine and Roses on the upper west side, and stopped in to Lancome's flagship store on Columbus and 69th Street. 

We played with makeup for over an hour and with our hands filled with sticky lip gloss, eye pencil marks and streaks of eye shadow, we grabbed cotton swabs soaked in Bi-Facil and we were back in action, and back to the shadows! Bi-Facil successfully removes waterproof eye makeup and is gentle enough for those with sensitive skin, and ophthalmologist-tested for contact lens wearers. 

A makeup artist friend of mine told me recently that if you don't remove your mascara at night, your lashes will fall off (which does not help in the youth-department because they do not grow back!)  I'm tellin' you, treat yourself, you'll love this stuff.  http://lancome.com, $26.

O-Gloss

I recently got a call from my friend Julie who told me I had to go out and buy Smashbox's new lip gloss O-Gloss immediately. She told me a great story about how her daughter Caroline was beyond upset to see Mom's pink turned out very differently than hers. Caroline wanted Mom's pink! 

O-Gloss is the first "intuitive lip gloss". Every person's pink is different, based on their chemistry. O-Gloss is very smooth, not sticky and has wonderful ingredients like avocado oil and Goji Berry-C Complex for moisture and shine. My pink is a subtle pink, but I have to tell you this gloss absolutely rocks on blondes! A blonde friend recently whipped O-Gloss out of her bag and I felt just like Caroline, I want her pink!! How fun right?!!

You can buy Smashbox at http://smashbox.com and this delicious pink pout will cost you $22.00 with free shipping in the U.S.

Concealer

I must introduce you to a new and faithful friend ... drum roll .. Time Balm concealer, by The Balm. Ta dah, mis amigos, it is unbelievable! 

As I mentioned in my last post, I have been dealing with some pain in the rump blemishes, especially on my forehead, and though Clinique Almost Makeup has helped incredibly with redness reduction and overall skin tone, The Balm has saved the day coverage wise.

It comes in 4 shades and is even said to be a treatment for your under eye area; The Balm says to dab a bit on before bed and you will awaken more fresh (who couldn't use that, right?!)  Personally, it is a tad dry for under my eyes, but as a blemish concealer, I am not sure there is a better one out there. I have used nearly every brand and I gotta say, The Balm has made me feel human lately on some terribly insecure skin days. The greatest thing about it is it lasts. I cover up in the a.m. and by day's end I am still in the game! This little pot of love is $17, I mean why not?!  http://sephora.com.

Clinique Almost Makeup

With a move back to New York City, and the start of a new job, I have been swamped. A bit swamped to fill you in, but not too swamped to stop by Sephora and pick up a few new things.

A big move, water, temperature changes, hormones, stress levels, can all have a huge effect on one's skin. I was pretty upset recently, in the midst of all of these personal changes, to wake up with a patch of acne on my forehead. I have tried to drink more water, watch my sugar, etc, but nothing is working (pretty much the worst!) So outside of treating my skin, I decided to pick up a foundation to minimize some of the redness and even out the rest of my skin tone.  Something light, not too heavy, it's summer!

Clinique's Almost Makeup did the trick. I had no idea how much red I had in my skin until I applied this very light and natural foundation, and saw the immediate results. I feel more confident and less focused on my forehead's blemishes and Almost Makeup is oil-free, waterproof and has an SPF of 15, so I feel protected too. The greatest thing is, it is affordable at $19.50 per tube! You can purchase this product at http://sephora.com or at any counter that carries Clinique. Give it a shot, I promise you, you will not be disappointed.

I stumbled in to Macy's Friday afternoon and I met the loveliest pale pink plumper. My friends, meet Dior's latest, Lip Maximizer.

This collagen lip plumper is like no other; not only is it hydrating, but it feels fresh, as opposed to hot and its flavor is vanilla mint, which I love!

Lip Maximizer is a treatment, as well as a plumper so it is recommended that it be applied throughout the day, as well as before bed. Lip Maximizer helps to stimulate collagen production in your lips and I was told that within 15 days I would notice a great difference (ooh la la)!

You can get yourself a great pucker too for about $30 at http://Macys.com and http://Sephora.com. I mean it is Memorial Day weekend, what better reason to treat yourself?!

Face Wash

I ran out of my face wash recently and recalled my dermatologist recommends Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash from Johnson & Johnson, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I have been using it for about a week now and I am absolutely loving it. My mascara comes right off (the main thing I want my face wash to accomplish) and because Purpose is soap free and oil free my skin does not feel dry or irritated. It's also non-comedogenic so it will not clog my pores or leave residue on my skin, like typical soap does. My favorite thing about this product is one pump gives you a handful of creamy lather and you do not need more than that to cleanse your face and neck. I picked up my Purpose at CVS for $6.99, but I found it on Drugstore.com for $6.49 - I mean how can you go wrong, it is reasonably priced and completely effective and gentle!