There is nothing sexier to me than a candy apple red lipstick. When I put it on I feel as glamourous as the sex kittens of Hollywood’s past, but even so, I rarely wear any color of lipstick at all. Sure I snuck my mother’s lipstick when I was younger, but lip gloss was the only thing I was actually allowed to wear out of the house! From Bonnie Bell to Mac to the millions of sticks, pots, and compacts full of gloss I have in my bathroom, it has been a hard habit to shake.I have to apply my lip gloss all the time during the day, it’s so sticky I have to keep pulling my hair off my lips when the wind blows, and I don’t get the color coverage that I would from lipstick. Not to mention no one likes to kiss a girl with sticky lip glossed lips! So why do I keep going back to it? This year I’m going to vow to mix it up and try to find some lipstick shades that I love and still moisturizer my lips like lip gloss does.
Like most of you, I too am a beauty product junky! Coming from a career in pharmaceuticals, what I don’t like is that many beauty companies promise you the world from a product without any real facts to back up the claims. How many times have you seen a mascara ad with a model wearing false lashes?! Bogus. At one of the editor suites during New York Fashion Week, I stopped by the Cosmedicine booth and got a great presentation and introduction to some products on their line. I was already a fan of Medi-Matte Oil Control lotion, but I’m curious to try a few other products like Private Nurse and Healthy Cleanse. The line includes cleansers, moisturizers, eye treatments, serums, exfoliators, sun protection, acne treatments and more for various skin types and conditions
I’m going to give the products a fair try before I do a write up so I can give a more balanced perspective, but I love that the products are evaluated by researchers at independent facilities who, following medical testing standards used for pharmaceutical studies, conducted state-of-the-art, scientifically validated tests to measure the results of Cosmedicine products on evenness of skin tone, pore diameter, skin hydration, firmness, elasticity, skin surface texture and safety to verify the products perform as claimed.
Now for the great news for all of you! Since Cosmedicine feels the same way I do about backing up the claims beauty companies put on their products, they are sponsoring a video contest for parodies of misleading and hard to believe beauty advertisements. The “Protest Beauty BS” winner gets a $5,000 cash prize! The top ten finalists get a year’s supply of Cosmedicine products. All eligible entries get a free gift. Sounds like a great plan to me!
The contest began August 4th and will end September 21st. For more information on how to enter, just go to
I have to admit that during my time living in NYC, I rarely left the island and crossed the bridge into Brooklyn unless it was for work because at the end of the day it just felt like too much of a journey to go more than 50 blocks in either direction. Looking back at it now seems really stupid given the amount of time I’m stuck behind the wheel in Los Angeles, but Bond No. 9 New York has given me a way to redeem myself with a journey back to Brooklyn in a bottle.
Officially, Brooklyn is unisex fragrance that is “a woody, spicy-filled oriental that mingles cardamom, geranium leaves, and cedarwood while grapefruit and juniper leaves accelerate the scent, and South American guaiacwood and leather bring a tender, beckoning touch.” That’s a mouthful, and although I have not even smelled yet, have you seen the bottle? If nothing else, I need it in the display rotation! The bottle is haute, and they aren't known for making bad fragrances either. I nearly broke my neck every time a guy walked past in Wall Street so many times I had to stop one of them to figure out what it was so I could bring it home to my man. In that same trip to 9 Bond Street, I also discovered Bryant Park, which I still wear because I always spritzed it on during fashion week so now the sent reminds me of all the memories of nights spent under the tents. Hopefully I’ll fall just as hard for Brooklyn, but if not I still have a great bottle for the vanity!
Cheers,
The Haute Chick
Available at Saks Fifth Avenue and www.bondno9.com Suggested Retail Price: $220 for 100ml; $145 for 50ml Picture via bondno9.com
What’s better than getting a little blue box? Um, absolutely nothing. That still doesn’t mean I wouldn’t take a pretty pink box at my door. My pretty pink box is a box full of beauty samples and 1 or 2 full size items from both brands you know and brands you will want to know. The boxes range in price every month from $10-$15 depending on who is participating, but the full size products alone are enough to cover the price of the box! They release the names of the participating retailers before the ordering date comes around each month, but you can sign up for e-mail alerts on their website because these boxes do sell out fast. The next day to order one is coming up on April 8th. If you are in a beauty rut of always going back to the same brands, maybe it’s time you step out of your box and into my pretty pink box!
Last spring at the tents, I remember sitting in the Tracy Reese show and thinking to myself it was the first time I didn't want to run away with anything in her collection. Even though I wasn't in love with the clothes, the show still managed to captivate me. She had a sea of blue hues that flooded the runway with airy shapes that flowed like the ocean. Now those same beautiful blues have been captured in a bottle. This April, Essie is introducing a limited edition collection called The North Folk CollectionThese colors bring back fun memories that make me want to jet back to NYC this summer and head straight for the Hamptons! I recommend this collection for anyone who wants a pop of color to brighten up their spring mani. However, I want to retract that statement for my beautiful spring brides who may be looking for their 'something blue.' This is not it! You will thank me 5 years from now when you are looking at your pictures!
Cheers,
The Haute Chic
Colors available at essie.com and chic nail boutiques Retail value $9
There is nothing more breathtaking than a beautiful smokey eye, but it can be so hard to recreate the look without the help of a profession make-up artist. My look tends to be more raccoon eye chic when I'm done playing in the mirror, but I'm curious to try again after watching this you tube clip. Check out make-up artist, Johnny Lavoy showing how to create a smokey eye with urban edge on model, Gelila Bekele. My only complaint is that he isn't describing the colors and brushes he is using while he is creating the look so we will see how this goes. The first color he uses on the lids is a cream based Mac paint called grafito. Thanks to the wisdom of one of my friends who has mastered the smokey eye, I picked this shade up a long time ago. A little goes a long way, but I'm curious to see if Mac still carries it because they are notorious for discontinuing a shade once I decide I can't live without it!
Rihanna in Paris!
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