Try Blue Liner Instead of Black

I love eyeliner. The blacker the better. However every spring /summer I mix it up by wearing blue liner. It's a nice change that looks fresher and cleaner for these warmer months. I think blue liner really rocks when I have a bit of a tan. The blue really makes my eyes pop. Here are some of my favorite blue liners

• Lancome Le Crayon Khol Eye Liner($23) in Le Bleu de Jim which is an awesome blue with a hint of green. Purchase at www.lancome-usa.com
• Calvin Klein Eye Definition Defining Eye Pencil ($15) in True Navy which is a pretty metallic navy blue. Purchase at www.sephora.com
• Korres Eyeliner Pencil ($16) in Sky Blue 13 which is a very vibrant blue. Purchase at www.sephora.com

L'Oreal Infallible Never Fail Lip Gloss

I was at CVS on Friday and I decided to purchase L'Oreal's Never Fail Lip Gloss. Let me just say upfront I hated the Infallible Lip Colour as I felt it totally dried out my lips. It was long wearing though. Anyway I figured a gloss probably wouldn't dry out my lips and a long wearing gloss sounded like a pretty good idea. Friday night I decided to try it out. The color I purchased is Undeniable Mauve. I really liked the color and the feel of the gloss when I put it on. The applicator is great. So this is at like 5:00. By 7:00 I had one glass of wine. It stayed on my lips no problem though it really wasn't as shiny anymore. By 8:00 when I had finished my dinner it was completely gone from my lips. So much for the 6 hours of beautiful color and shine I was promised. Yet another disappointment from the Infallible collection. I will say while I will never buy the Lip Colour again I may buy the gloss because they did have a nice range of shades and it didn't feel bad on my lips. I will just know I need to reapply every 3 hours or so.

Bliss Steep Clean

I miss working in Manhattan. I worked there for 9 years. Sure I loved the excitement of working in the greatest city in the world, the after work cocktails with friends at a cool downtown bar, the occasional celebrity siting and the pizza. All those things were great but the thing I loved the best was being so close to a Bliss Spa. I must say, me and two of my co workers were slightly obsessed with their facials and treatments. Ah the good old days! Fast forward to my more domestic life now in the suburbs. Not a Bliss Spa to be found. I decided to give the Bliss Steep Clean Mask ($54) a try. It's supposed to exfoliate, clear pores, brighten the skin and be a great alternative when you just can't make it in for a facial. I must say I was a doubter who is now a believer. I love this stuff! I've been using it once a week for a little over a month. My skin looks and feels great. It really comes through on unclogging my pores. While it's not quite the same as actually being at Bliss for one of their awesome facials, I highly recommend this product for when you just can't get to the spa. Purchase at www.blissworld.com

Bliss Blowout Sale

Bliss is running a sale with discounts up to 80%. You have to hurry because it ends on Sunday 4/20. Some of my purchases are going to be the bliss steep clean body polish(reg $42 sale $8.40) and the malin+goetz scented candle in mojito (reg $48 sale $29). Happy Shopping!!!!

Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment

I love the back story of Ojon. Ojon uses a rich palm nut oil extracted from the tropical Ojon tree in their products. For hundreds of years this tree was only known to the Miskito Indians, named Tawira, also known as "people of beautiful hair". Today partnering with the Miskito to harvest and extract the oil, Ojon has made 100% pure, natural ojon oil available to us all.

I've tried many Ojon products. I've always shied away from one of their most popular products though. I thought the Restorative Hair Treatment would be too heavy for my somewhat fine, straight hair. Enter my friend Sharon who has the exact same hair texture as I do. She ran into work on Monday saying that she had stumbled onto a "miracle mask" for the hair. She'd never heard of the brand but while visiting her sister for the weekend saw it in the shower, read the instructions and used it. And Loved It!

So of course I had to get my hands on it and use it right away. On Ojon's web site they descibe the product as "a unique, highly-concentrated hair rejuvenator that instantly hydrates and dramatically improves the condition of damaged, color-treated or processed hair, without weighing it down." I ditto that. It made my hair feel awesome and didn't weigh it down at all. The smell of this product is not the greatest but who cares...my hair looks and feels fabulous and isn't good hair what it's all about...

Purchase through Ojon at www.ojon.com or through QVC at www.qvc.com

April's Winning Packaging

In a post earlier this month I told you about my obsession with beautiful and interesting packaging. Each month I will feature 3 products that I think have great packaging. They say you can't judge a book by its cover and that's true but the cover is often what draws you to a book. Same thing with packaging. I tend to gravitate first to the items that are cleverly and beautifully packaged. Here are some items that I think have fabulous packaging.

• fresh Sugar Soap Anniversary Edition
• Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadow in Shag
• Benefit "touch me then try to leave"cream

Bare Escentuals...Not for Me

Ok so years ago after watching Bare Escentuals on QVC I ordered the bareMinerals foundation, the Mineral Veil and the brushes. I was so excited to try it. The transformations I was watching all looked great. Rosacea covered, zits hidden, magnificent glow to the skin and the makeup all looked very natural. Once I received and tried it all my excitement went away. I don't have horrible skin but I don't have flawless skin either. The foundation didn't cover enough for me. It just didn't do anything for my skin. The worst part was the "swirl, tap, buff" technique. There was powder in my sink and on my clothes. I just wasn't feeling the whole thing. So fast forward to a recent trip to Sephora whereI see the Get Started Kit ($60). Feeling ready to give this highly regarded mineral makeup another chance I purchased it. Well all I can say is the best predictor of the future is the past. All the same stuff I hated about it years ago I still hated. The only thing I liked from the set is the sample of bareVitamins Prime Time. This was a really nice primer. I know millions of people are fans of bareMinerals I just am not one of them. I'd love to hear some of your experiences with this product.

Nordstrom-Gift with Purchase

I was on Nordstrom's website earlier and saw they were having the following GWP. I thought I'd pass the information along. It contains a nice mix of products and comes in a pink tote. Here are the details:

Receive the following samples including a pink tote with your $100 beauty or fragrance purchase:

• Bare Escentuals® RareMinerals™ Facial Cleanser (0.05 oz.)

• Bliss The Youth as We Know It Moisturizer (0.1 oz.)

• Clarins Advanced Extra-Firming Eye Contour Serum (0.1 oz.)

• DKNY Delicious Night Eau de Parfum Spray (0.05 oz.)

• Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Body Lotion (0.2 oz.)

• Erno Laszlo TranspHuse Topical sample

• GoSMILE AM/PM Whitening Protection Toothpastes samples

• Juicy Couture Royal Body Crème (0.25 oz.)

• Kinerase® Cream with SPF 30 (0.1 oz.)

• Lancôme Rénergie Double Performance Anti-Wrinkle and Firming Treatment (0.5 oz.)

• Lancôme Rénergie Night—Night Treatment (0.5 oz.)

• L'Occitane Shea Hand Cream (0.3 oz.)

• Missoni Acqua Eau de Toilette Spray (0.07 oz.)

• Narciso Rodriguez For Him eau de toilette spray (0.04 oz.)

• Origins Modern Friction™ Nature's Gentle Dermabrasion (0.17 oz.)

• philosophy hope in a jar eye & lip cream (0.25 oz.)

• Prescriptives Lash Envy Volumizing Mascara (0.08 oz.)

• Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light (0.5 oz.)

Offer good online only. One per person, while supply lasts.

Juice Beauty Green Apple Cleansing Gel

Ok I'll admit it, I have not embraced a totally green/organic lifestyle. I recycle my plastic bottles and I don't litter. That's as far as I have taken it so far. I want to be better. I really do see the importance of this lifestyle to our health and our environment. So with that in mind I figured why not give some organic beauty products a try. So here's what happened. A few weeks ago I went to Sephora and asked which organic line I should try as my introduction to organic beauty. The salesgirl eagerly said her favorite line was Juice Beauty. She recommended the Green Apple Cleansing Gel ($26.00). So I left the store with that and about 20 other things I "needed". I've been using this cleanser for about 2 weeks now and I must say I am deeply impressed. Made with a base of fruit juices (all their products are) including apple, lemon and white grape this really got my face clean. I noticed my skin had a brightness to it, a glow. Plus it felt good using something produced with healthy ingredients. And their packaging is made from 100% recycled materials from the carton to the label. Juice Beauty is a win win for the user and for the environment. You can purchase Juice Beauty at www.juicebeauty.com, www.sephora.com or in Sephora stores.

Ingredient of the Month...Almond

This month's featured beauty ingredient is almond. The almond has been recognized for its moisturizing properties since ancient Egypt. Almond milk and almond oil are used in many skin and hair treatments today. Many believe it has a medicinal use also, helping to ease muscular pain and treat mild skin inflammation. Listed below are some great products that contain either almond milk or almond oil.

• L'occitane Almond Supple Skin Oil- A great way to moisturize your skin. I used this when I was pregnant to help prevent stretch marks. I can't prove this oil is the reason but I am stretch mark free.
• Joey New York Pure Pores Crushed Almonds and Honey Scrub-I must admit I was skeptical at first. I've tried other almond scrubs that have literally cut my face. This one was soft and gentle but did a great job exfoliating.
• Korres Almomd Proteins Leave-on-Conditioner- I used this product after a trip to the Bahamas. I had gotten my hair braided Bo Derek style. It was hard enough to get the braids out but once they were out the nightmare truly began. I had very long hair and it was so tangled and knotty from the braids it was impossible to comb. I showered then sprayed this conditioner on and the tangles came out with not much effort. I've been a fan ever since.

Chantecaille Protect Paradise Face Compact

I have always been a sucker for packaging. I've been known to buy many a product simply because I loved the packaging...(more on that in future posts.) I'm finding myself being drawn the same way to powders, shadows etc. that have decorative embossing. I saw this product featured in the 2008 issue of Lucky Magazine. It is absolutely adorable. While the sheer pinky and coral hues look totally fresh, I must admit I will be buying it mostly because I love the design.

Not only does it look good it does good too. Five percent of the proceeds goes to marine conservation. Of course that helps justify the $90 price tag. You can pre order the Chantecaille Protect Paradise Face Compact on neimanmarcus.com.