Free (Kinda): Luella Handbag

Elle.com is giving away this scrumptious bag for one lucky person, if you must know. Think positive thoughts.

It's kind of paramilitary Mary Poppins.

Sorry, this contest just ended. Let's talk soon.

Got It In Spades

I might need a cosmetics garage or climate-controlled makeup cellar. Until then....there's the Kate Spade canvas "Copenhagen" cosmetics case, a hefty 5" by 9".

Buy it: Kate Spade Copenhagen cosmetics case ($85), Kate Spade.

Beauty School Dropout

Well, in honor of Grease II and Michelle Pfeiffer, I'd just like to post this:



The hair color box lady is an "enigmatic," hair color spokeswoman, but does she have teeth? And in terms of the heavy eternal questions that weigh me down, should I go blonde for summer?

Buy it: Garnier Nutrisse Level 3 Macadamia ($10), CVS or Long's Drugs.

Baked Goods

Basically, they say sunbathing is bad, bad, bad, but every once in three years, I show my legs and arms to the world. And, I just found out I was the last one to know about ChikaLicious, a dessert restaurant. Yessiree, you heard that correct, dessert restaurant.

Now instead of working, engorging myself with pastries in the afternoon sun is my new "goal." This could spell trouble. To support this effort, I am so excited about my tube of Lancome's new sunblock UV Expert 20 with Mexoryl ™ SX Face and Body Protection. Mexoryl, the recently FDA-approved European ingredient blocks out UVA (ultraviolet A) sunlight, not just UVB (ultraviolet B) sunlight, helping to prevent melanoma and other types of skin cancer. Also, the texture of this sunblock is dreamy, and triples as both a "base" and can work as an extra layer of protection with your bareMinerals SPF 15 foundation, if you're into the mineral makeup thing.


Buy it: Lancome UV Expert 20 with Mexoryl ™ SX Face and Body Protection ($35), Sephora.

Above the Nose: Deals and Indulgences

Well hello, my pretties. Cackle.

Sales do this to me. Yesterday, I went to Sephora and bought a new new eyebrow lash/brow comb for $2.50, on sale, and a nice eyeliner brush for $4.50, also on sale. Then, continuing my thriftiness, I brought my Oliver Peoples eyeglasses in to be repaired in the Village to some store I had never been inside, and they didn't charge me a dime for fixing it.

Today I wore my eyeglasses, which I bought on eBay (you can keep my secret, right?) for a fraction of their retail price (normally, $250-400), and felt very, very smart.

Not that we wouldn't mind being a little "fun" in Oliver Peoples' summer collection, like this model called Harlot --but only in the orchid with maraschino cherry lenses. You can send them giftwrapped.



Buy it:: Sephora Short eyebrow lash/brow comb ($2.50) and eyeliner brush ($4.50), Sephora; Harlot sunglasses ($3r0), Oliver Peoples.

I feel like I've seen you somewhere.

Dear America,

OMG it's been forevs! But sometimes you just have to go and like, write novels and be a professor and play with your dog, plus, I (as in I Violet, not Charlotte, who usually posts here) really don't wear makeup, so I kind of used up all my knowledge in this blog's first months. I, Violet, can talk about epidemiology with you, though! Cholera vectors, what?!

ANNNNNNNNNYways. Uh. There's been a revolution in my personal care routine lately, and it's been prompted by the revolutionary writings on the side of a bottle of Dr. Bronner's. You know the ones: be a communist! spray this on your plants! &c.

But. My point is. I always thought that conditioner after shampoo was scientifically required, or your head exploded. It turns out I totally made that up. I'm a tousle-headed moppet, with the tricky combination of curls and fine hair, which means that if I do not calibrate everything just so, I end up rocking the Alanis, or alternately, the Rocky.

Do you know how I fixed this? BY NOT USING CONDITIONER ANYMORE. Holy bejeezus, it's amazing! I just wash with the Dr. Bronner's baby-mild formulation* (before killing the rich and using it as contact lens solution) and air dry and then I am the most prettiest. You think I am joking, but I am not! Fine-but-curly-haired-chicks of the world unite, you have nothing to lose but your conditioner!

*Available at Ricky's and also health food stores, depending on whether you are more of a hippie or a tranny.

Love,
Vi

This season's necessary blushes come in all shapes and sizes.....

We're not embarassed to extoll pink blush. A great blush can stand for itself, and doesn't require much fuss. You can wear all of these blushes solo, and with a dab of sheer lipstick and undereye concealer for a look that is polished and relaxed.

One stamp, no postage required. Lorac Cheek Stamp in Hibiscus ($22) is a little pot.




The new Swedish Hakansson products are skinny, pale, and about the size of a library card. Check out Hakansson The Color 9 + 10 ($42), in delicate spring shades for cheeks and eyes:



One of Clinique's signatures for over a decade has been Black Honey Almost Lipstick. Gel Blush in Black Honey matches their Almost Lipstick without missing a beat.




Buy it: Lorac Cheek Stamp in Hibiscus, Sephora; Hakansson The Color 9 + 10, Hakansson and ABC Carpet & Home; Clinique in Black Honey, Sephora.

It's Official: Eyeshadow Government Rules Summer 2007

This is the proof.

Go to Google and type in "look under the sea." We appear third.

Thanks world for understanding my importance. Sure, I would think some porpoise or Jacques Cousteau would beat us on Google, but we might be bigger than that. Take that, Ariel!

Click here to check it out.


If you like deep-sea divers, also recommended are:
--Deep sea creature films by Jean Painleve
--Panda Bear's Comfy in Nautica
--A new bikini (how else are you gonna meet 'em?)

Buy it: Mossimo jeweled bikini ($20), Target






Also, we're now listed in WhoWhatWearDaily's Little Black Book.

Catch a Wave

Humidity is upon us, which drives scores of curly-haired city girls to Japanese straightening, curling irons, and relaxers. I say, fuggedaboutit. Curly-haired girls have the upper hand: those with toppling ringlets always have the last laugh, tons of fun, and bigger hair. Duh!



Curly

To pump up those curls, Aveda's Be Curly(TM) Curl Enhancer tames frizz and "defines curl up to 57%" more than untreated hair. I thought you would like that numerical sum of curliness.
Or for "day at the beach" hair, we recommend the tried and true, Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray.

Straight-Laced

Even so, some of my girlfriends are addicted to straightening. It's not "woeful," but it can be sooo time-consuming and eat up valuable time that could be spent watching television and sleeping. My fab girfriend invested in a ceramic iron from Sephora, more specifically the GHD Professional Styler with Advanced Ceramic Technology, and now she swears by it. It's the LeCreuset of hair irons, and never deep-fries your hair. If you're on a straightening rampage, consider busting out the best conditioner you can find, like Redken's All Soft Heavy Cream.



And if you straight-laced girls find your straightened hair gets curly, and your curly hair is frizzy, probably the only person who will give a shuck is you. The rest of us will just be envious.

Stay cute!

Hey Sexy, I'm So Glossy: Tarte Sunglosses

Sometime we love to play favorites, especially when a lipgloss comes along that makes us shine like the top of the Chrysler building. Tarte's new "Sunglosses" come in a set of three duos, which equals 6 colors for every girl, or 4 for you and 2 for a friend.

Personally I'm addicted to Frankie & Annette (see middle shade), but all the other shades are just lush.

Grade: A+

Buy it:Tarte Sunglosses Set ($30 [total steal], Sephora]

Afternoon Delight: Mac Foundation Brush

A few months ago, my significant boy said he sometimes likes it better when I don't wear makeup. Hmmmm, I was like, "Oh, that's sweet honey," and when hell freezes over.

Faking It

This really got up my feminine wiles, and I ran over to the Mac boutique to share my distressing tale with Charlie, the makeup artist. He rolled his eyes with deep understanding.

"Sheer out" is Charlie's catchphrase. He "sheers out" foundation with a foundation brush, not with his fingers, using Mac's Studio Tech Liquid Powder foundation in NC15, and a coat of blush.



The results: I come home, see my boyfriend that evening, and he says, unbidden, "You look like a supermodel." Okay, he is totally obsessed with me, so I could be covered in soot and rags, and the same would be true, but still....

For years, I thought foundation brushes were for cosmetic department employees but not awesome civilian girls like me. So not true. All you do is dip your foundation brush into the pot, and brush it onto your face. With many light brush strokes, Mac Sumotech will spread evenly even if it's your first time using a foundation brush. Just use as little foundation as possible for a "wow" natural look.

Buy it: Mac Sumotech Liquid Powder Foundation; Mac Foundation Brush #190, kapow ($32), Mac.