VALENTINE DAY GIFT GUIDE

Not sure what to get the special women in your life for Valentine Day? Don't despair! I've put together a handy guide of my favorite Valentine Day picks for all the lovely ladies in your life. This collection of beauty goodies would make the perfect gift for your sister, Mom, best friend or even your favorite baby sitter. So spread some love and show her that you care!

Three Custom Color - "The Sweetest Thing" Refillable Trio  (a $67.50 value!) $50
A sleek, portable trio with filled with "Icing on the Cupcake" Eye Shadow (a kaleidoscope of light-reflecting shimmers in gold, pink, teal, violet and blue), "Candy Cloud 9" Gloss (sheer pink with gold and silver shimmer with subtle sweet Cotton Candy flavor & fragrance) and "Lollipop" Lip & Cheek Stain (hot rosy pink). Three Custom Color  partnered with rising Design Star, Miles Ehan, to create this tasty capsule collection entitled "The Sweetest Thing".  

Too Faced - "Look of Love" Set   ($124 Value) $45
Embrace the look of love with this collection of best-sellers and exclusive products. Swoon over a seven-piece set filled with fresh and feminine shades in a chic, heart-stopping bag that speaks the language of amour! Set contains:
- "Look of Love" Eyeshadow and Blush Trio
- Glamour Gloss in "Barely Legal"
- Lash Injection Mascara
- Shadow Insurance
- Primed and Poreless (primer)
- Flatbuki Mini Brush
- Limited Edition "Look of Love" Cosmetic Bag

Stila - "Make Me Blush" Set ($41.50 Value) $20
A romantic trio that includes a multicolor blush inspired by Valentine's Day Conversation Hearts along with two juicy Lip Glazes. This set is a Sephora Exclusive!  Set contains:
- "Make Me Blush" Cheek Color
- Lip Glaze in "Hugs" (creamy rose) and "Kisses" (sparkling red)

Tarte -  LipSurgence™ Natural Lip Luster Power Couple  ($48 value) $38
This limited-edition pairing is a perfect match!  Tarte's best-selling natural lip tints are peppermint-infused and glide on smooth for a rich finish that will stay all day.  Includes:
- "Frisky" (bright pink)
- "Fever" (red)

Kiehl's - Saks Lipgloss Value Set   ($43.50)
Saks Fifth Avenue Exclusive containing four different colors of Kiehl's iconic lip gloss in a zippered logo case.  Set includes the following colors:
- "Lights On Broadway"
- "Berry 1851"
- "Pear Tree"
- "Pink Rider"

LUSH - "Be Mine" Gift Box   $45
This hatbox is a declaration of true and undying love for helpless romantics. It consists of a selection of six scrumptious treats for all you (bath) lovers. Set contains:
- "Sex Bomb" Bath Bomb
- "MMM Melting Marshmallow Moment" Bath Melt
- "Sugar Babe" Sugar Scrub
- "It's Raining Men" shower gel
- "Lust" Solid Perfume

Philosophy -  "Sweet On You" Set  $25
This delectably sweet, candy-heart scented trio of moisturizing formulas condition skin, hair and lips. It's the sweetest gift you can give to the sweetheart in your life. Set contains:
- Shampoo, Shower Gel and Bubble Bath
- Body Lotion
- Lip Shine (sheer rose shimmer)

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS BEAUTY

October is Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) month and beauty companies have created special products, many  branded with the pink ribbon to support breast cancer research.  Listed below are a few of the BCA beauty products currently available this month:

Smashbox -Photo Finish Lipstick to Benefit Susan G. Komen For The Cure  ($22)
This limited-edition lipstick in their best-selling babydoll pink shade is a beautiful way to give back. Part of the proceeds benefit the Los Angeles County Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, to help raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research grants, meritorious awards, and educational, scientific and community outreach programs around the world. Limited-edition sleeve inspired by the Fashion for the Cure® benefit, which will feature the Diane von Furstenberg Cruise/Pre-Spring Collection 2009/2010.

Estee Lauder - Elizabeth Hurley Lip Design Collection ($22)
Estee Lauder Lip Design Collection - Lipstick, gloss and pencil and your purchase helps charity.
Elizabeth Hurley hand-picked the shades for this exclusive set:
    * Pure Color Lipstick in Elizabeth Pink
    * High Gloss in Pink Lady
    * Artist's Lip Pencil in Pink Writer
    * Pink Case with Mirror
The Estee Lauder Companies' Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign is the largest corporate sponsor of The Breast Cancer Research Foundation to find a cure in our lifetime.

Three Custom Color - Be Bright Pink Lip Gloss ($23.50)
An exclusive shade created to support Bright Pink, a national non-profit organization that provides education and support to young women who are at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer. 20% of sales generated by the purchase of Be Bright Pink Lip Gloss will be donated to support Bright Pink’s mission. To learn more about this amazing charity, log on to www.bebrightpink.org.

Bobbi Brown - Pink Ribbon Collection ($40)
A beautiful limited-edition lip set featuring Blush Pink Creamy Lip Color and Pink Crystal Glitter Lip Balm, in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month. With your purchase of Bobbi's Pink Ribbon Collection, you are contributing to Bobbi Brown's donation of $35,000 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, whose mission is to achieve prevention and a cure for breast cancer in our lifetime.  Every order on BobbiBrown.com will include a Pink Ribbon, made from recycled materials. 
* This item ships free all month on the Bobbi Brown website as "Thank you" for your support.

OPI - "Pink Of Hearts" Nail Lacquer for Breast Cancer Awareness  ($8.50)
Show your support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month with "Pink of Hearts", the official OPI Nail Lacquer created exclusively to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Rethink Breast Cancer in their promise to end breast cancer forever. OPI will make a donation of $25,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, as well as a $5000 donation to Rethink Breast Cancer in Canada. A pretty, empowering light pink, "Pink of Hearts" is a shade every woman will be proud to wear because it represents the power of caring, the power of women supporting each other, and the power of pink.

Essie - "Yes We Can Pink!" Nail Polish  ($8)
Wear pink this October...on your fingers and toes in an effort to raise breast cancer awareness. To join in the fight against the powerful disease, Essie Cosmetics has created "Yes We Can, Pink!", a new nail color, for which a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC), a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women affected by the disease.

Philosophy - "She Colors My Day" - Charity Bubble Bath benefiting the Women's Cancer Research Fund   ($20)
Inspired by the artwork of her daughter, Philosophy founder Cristina Carlino co-created a unique bath product to celebrate the bond between mothers and daughters and help give back to a very worthwhile cause. "She Colors My Day" generates high-foaming bubbles, lightly tints your bath green and helps soothe and moisturize skin. 100% of Philosophy's net proceeds from the sale of "She Colors My Day" will be donated to the Entertainment Industry Foundation's Women's Cancer Research Fund to support the early detection of women's cancers. Available exclusively on www.philosophy.com.

**** To learn more about Breast Cancer and the search for the cure, please check out the following websites:
www.NationalBreastCancer.org
www.findacure.org

www.bcrfcure.org

 ww5.komen.org

MY OBSESSION! BRONZER

* photo courtesy of www.fashionmagazine.com

If you know me, you know that I am obsessed with makeup but in particular I LOVE using bronzer/highlighter to illuminate the skin. Bronzer comes in so many forms - whether cream, liquid, powder, even mousse...there is a perfect match for everyone.

Most days I layer a combination of bronzing/illuminating products to create a long-lasting glow to my skin. One of my absolute favorite products is MAC Colour Cream Base in "Bronze" .  I use it as highlighter on top of my cheekbones and sometimes on my eyelids as base for my powder eye shadow.  Unfortunately the color is currently discontinued at MAC so I had to go hunting for it on eBay.  I also found a replacement for it in Mak Up For Ever Diamond Cream - Face & Body Irridescent Cream in "#6/Copper".  Years ago I used to wear a product from Shu Uemura called Base Control in "Bronze".  When using cream or liquid bronzer/highlighter I usually top it with a powder bronzer like Cargo's Powder Bronzer in "Dark"  or MAC Iridescent Loose Powder in "Golden Bronze" to set the cream and to further enhance the gorgeous deep golden-bronze color.

On rich, chocolate skin like mine a warm bronze or coppery  color is just lovely but most women can get away with wearing gold...just make it tone appropriate.  So if you're a pale blonde or redhead you would want to wear a pale yellow gold but if you have alot more pigment in your skin you would use a warmer, richer shade of gold.  Some examples of great colors to use as bronzer/highlighter are:

M.A.C. Colour Cream Base - "Bronze" pictured but you can try "Improper Copper"  ($16.50)

Three Custom Color - Mood Lighting Shimmer Cremes in "Afterglow" – A pearlescent champagne with flecks of gold and violet and "On Fire"– A bronzed shimmer with a swirl of opalescence. ($20.50)

Physicians Formula - Summer Eclipse® Bronzing & Shimmery Face Powder in "Starlight/Medium Bronzer" ($12.95)

Sally Hansen - Natural Beauty inspired by Carmindy: Sun Glow Powder Bronzer in "Summer" ($12.99)

Youngblood Cosmetics - Mineral Radiance in "Sundance" ($39)

Truly fabulous in summer but beautiful all year round I'm a huge fan of bronzer.  Try it for yourself and you'll see what I mean.  And if you need help with figuring how to use bronzer check out my earlier blog post "Bronzer Makeup Tutorial".  Enjoy!