Gadabout Media » Beauty & Fashion

Shopping Deals on DuWop & Cover FX

Michelle Hamor — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:00:52 +0000

Are you interested in a good shopping deal? I know I always am. Here are a couple of the Weekly Specials at Sephora.com……

DuWop Venom Rocks
$10 at Sephora.com

You can get this trio of DuWop Venom minis in Garnet, Pink Quartz, and Amethyst for a limited time. (I love the Garnet – a berry with golden sparkle). These are lip plumping glosses, a new favorite product type of mine. If you’ve never tried a lip plumper before, this is the perfect time to try. The colors included in this kit range from subtle to sexy.

Skinprep FX Mini Nourishing Foundation Primer & Anti-Aging Serum
$8 at Sephora.com

The best way to get a smooth, even application of foundation/base is to apply a primer first. A primer smooths the surface of the skin, allowing you to have a fresh canvas to apply your makeup on. This one, by Cover FX helps to reduce skin inflammation. It’s oil-free, fragrance-free, and it won’t clog your pores.

Image credit: Sephora.com

Product Giveaway: Clean & Clear Finishes

Michelle Hamor — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:06:00 +0000

I’ve got some exciting news from Clean & Clear today. First, Clean & Clear has a new Finishes Collection. Second, they are running a Prom dress design contest in conjunction with Gen Art. Third, I’ve got 5 sets of the new Clean & Clear Finishes products to give away!

The Clean & Clear Finishes line utilizes “skin-perfecting minerals” that help to correct skin problems and leave the complexion looking flawless. It consists of three new products:

*Clean & Clear Finishes Pore Perfecting Moisturizer SPF 15 – This oil-free moisturizer is made with minerals. The minerals diffuse light which help the skin to have a smoother-looking appearance. It contains glycerin, amino acids, and emollients, all found naturally in healthy skin. It’s lightweight and provides protection from both UVA and UVB rays.

*Clean & Clear Finishes Even Tone Cleanser – A foaming cleanser that delivers a deep-down clean. It’s gentle enough for every day use. It’s oil-free and made with “skin calming ingredients.” Gives skin an “even-toned finish.”

*Clean & Clear Finishes Pore Perfecting Cleanser – This one is also gentle enough for every day. It’s oil free, cleans deep down, and really works to unclog pores.

To learn more about the Start to Finish Prom Beauty Designer Prom Dress Competition, click here. Entrants 18 and older will submit 2 photos – a front and back shot – of each of their dress designs. All work must be original. The contest is currently open (started March 10, 2010) and the deadline for entries is April 9, 2010.

One design winner will win $5000 and see their dress design to come to life. Another girl could win the dress, plus win the prom party of her dreams.

To enter my giveaway and have a chance at 1 of 5 Clean & Clear Finishes product sets, then please leave a comment below. This giveaway is open to US residents only. I will announce the randomly picked winners in one week.

Image credit: Clean & Clear

MAC Cosmetics: Liberty Of London Makeup Line

Michelle Hamor — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:40:34 +0000

MAC Cosmetics recently launched a new line of makeup, the Liberty of London collection.

Give me prim. Give me proper. In this colourful collaboration, M∙A∙C celebrates Liberty of London’s most famous prints. Bloomingly lovely!

The limited edition line includes eye shadow, lipstick, gloss, blush, highlighting powder, nail polish, and a scarf. There were a couple of Liberty of London makeup bags available, but they quickly sold out, so if you see something that you like, I suggest you grab it.

Here are a few porducts from the line:

Liberty of London Scarf featuring a cute floral pattern that echoes that colors of the makeup line. It’s made from a combination wool/viscose blend fabric.

The Liberty of London Beauty Powderis a pearly powder that comes in shell (a peachy pink) and Summer Rose (a rosy pink). The powder comes in a cute compact decorated with the Libery of London graphic. Really cute. Use this powder to give your complexion a soft Spring glow.

Image credit: MAC Cosmetics

The World’s Cutest Rain Boots

Michelle Hamor — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:01:50 +0000

I was looking in the latest issue of the Everyday With Rachel Ray magazine and I found the cutest rain boots. (Yeah, cute boots in a food magazine – I was surprised, too). These are unlike any rain boots that you’ve seen before. They come in styles for city with a little heel, an equestrian boot, a tall lace-up boot, or even a cowboy style. Lots of cute colors and prints. An adorable way to keep your toes dry during those upcoming April showers.

Here are a few of the styles. You can see a complete list of Dav boots, umbrellas, and handbags at DavRain.com.

Image credit: DavRain.com

ULTA’s Big Spring Event

Michelle Hamor — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 08:22:05 +0000

Today marks the beginning of ULTA’s big Spring Event. From now, March 14, 2010, until April 3, 2010, ULTA will be hosting special in-store events, as well offering a ton of free gifts with purchase. They are boosting their stock with new productsfrom companies like Benefit, Bare Escentuals bareMinerals, Stila, Urban Decay, Cargo, and Essence. They are carrying some great ULTA exclusives like an Ed Hardy Love Kills travel size hair styling kit – blow dryer, flat iron, and carrying case. (My daughter would love it!)

Click here for ULTA exclusive Get The Look videos that show you how to recreate some of the hottest Spring makeup looks including a fun look for day, a polished look, and an 80s inspired punk look.

Image credit: ULTA.com

Spring Headbands For Your Inner Hippie Chick

Michelle Hamor — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:50:47 +0000

Etsy weekend shopping…. How about something pretty for your hair? I like this simple and pretty Daisy Flower Crown by the Peace Love Vintage Shop at Etsy.

Who can resist a girl with flowers in her hair? Surely, not us. This 60’s inspired flower crown with yellow and white daisies will have you California Dreamin’ and swaying with the breeze quicker than you can say “Make Love, not War.”

Also from the Peace Love Vintage shop, this Hippie Chick Braided Headband reminds me of Nicole Ritchie or Lindsay Lohan’s current styles. They are usually seen headband-ed.

Feeling a little hippie, but not ready for flowers in your hair, just yet? Our 60’s inspired braided headband may be just right. Made with cream and tan hemp with a ribbon tie, this headband is perfect for looking hippie-ish without trying too hard.

Here’s one last headband – a Lace Headband. Expect to see headbands like these throughout this Summer. It’s a boho-inspired trend that is fast going mainstream.

Image credit: Peace Love Vintage Shop at Etsy

Lola Cosmetics On Sale for 75% Off

Michelle Hamor — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:27:38 +0000

Beauty Ticket.com is having a huge and I mean HUGE sale – the Private Sale. It runs until midnight on March 15, 2010.

To shop the Private Sale you need to register with Beauty Ticket as a V.I.P. It only takes a few minutes, I did it myself. The sale covers products made by Lola Cosmetics, including foundation, eye makeup, blush, lip color, and even a Shimmering Dry Body Oil.

If you aren’t a Lola fan, take a look at the other daily bargains including the Steal of the Week Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss. It usually retails for $18, but you can get it at Beauty Ticket for only $4.99.

It was an Allure Editor’s Choice for Best Lip Gloss and it’s available in Beauty, a light pink, Luxe, a bronze, and Red Rock a coral-red, which reminds me of the red carpet makeup that I wrote about earlier this week.

Image credit: Beauty Ticket.com

Oscars 2010: Zoe & Maggie’s Makeup

Michelle Hamor — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:45:57 +0000

I got some backstage info about the makeup look that Zoe Saldana was wearing at the Oscars. Her dress was somewhat controversial (possibly too couture?), but everyone agreed that from the waist up she was exquisite.

Makeup artist Vera Steimberg used shu uemura products on Saldana. She focused on Zoe’s eyes, wanting to draw the attention upward in order mirror the updo she wore with her Givenchy Haute Couture gown. She started with the famed shu uemura Eyelash Curler that everyone swears by curling Zoe’s natural lashes, then Steimberg applied Slant Black False Eye Lashes. The trick to applying the lashes correctly is to use the shu uemura Eye Lash Applicator.

Did you notice how beautiful Maggie Gyllenhaal’s skin looked on the red carpet? She got a little help from makeup artist Molly Stern and shu uemura’s Red: Juvenus Vitalizing Concentrate. To recreate Gyllenhaal’s golden-brown eye look, use the shu uemura Pressed Eye Shadow in ME Brown 860 all over, with P Brown 810 in the crease.

You can find all these products at shu uemura’s online store.

Image credit: PicApp.com

Celebrity Fragrances: Kim Kardashian & Jennifer Aniston

Michelle Hamor — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:52:37 +0000

I’m on the fence when it comes to celebrity fragrances. Sometimes I love them, for example in the case of Reese Witherspoon’s In Bloom fragrance from AVON, but other times, I think they smell too sweet or too much like every other “new thing” out there. (Britney, I’m a fan, but your perfumes sometimes give me a headache).

I was very curious to try Kim Kardashian’s new fragrance, Kim Kardashian Eua de Parfum, that is available at Sephora. Kim, if you’ve ever seen on her show, is a bit of a contradiction. She looks smoldering and sexy, but in reality she’s a little on the conservative side. Would her fragrance play to the smoldering-sexiness or to the conservative woman? A company rep contacted me about a possible review and I said, “Yes, please, send it on over!” Finally I was going to have the chance to check it out for myself.

When it arrived, the bottle was all sleek and sexy, with an Asian flair. I was reminded of the bottom notes of Tonka Bean, Musk, Sandalwood and I thought, okay, it’s going to be sexy. Wrong, well sort of wrong – it is very womanly, so sexy in that way, but not spicy sexy. This perfume smells like a strong, feminine Floral. Lots of Gardenia. It’s very pretty and my opinion is that it reflects that conservative side of Kim Kardashian.

Currently it sits in my room, but my daughters use it all the time. I can safely say that it would appeal to a wide range of women, as we are 12, 17, and 43.

Fragrance notes: Mandarin, Honey Suckle, Orange Blossom, Pink Jasmine, Tuberose, Sensual Spice, Lush Gardenia, Jacaranda Wood, Tonka Bean, Vanilla Orchid, Sexy Musk, Creamy Sandalwood.

Speaking of celebrity fragrances, did you hear the rumors that Jennifer Aniston is talking with the Falic Group about a possible fragrance deal for later this year? I read about it over at AOL’s Stylist blog. That Jennifer Aniston is always in the news. Did you catch her W cover shot with Gerard Butler? (Dang, he’s pretty.) It’s all over the internet today.

I’ll let you know when I hear more information about Jen’s fragrance. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that it will smell fresh and possibly beachy, say with a touch of Citrus and maybe some sort of Water Accord. I suspect that my guess may have been influenced by the amount of times I’ve seen shots of her in a bikini. She strikes me a beach girl. I can’t wait to give it a sniff.

Image credit: Michelle Hamor Smith

LUSH Bath & Body Products

Michelle Hamor — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:46:48 +0000

I take a daily shower, but at deep-down, I’m a bath girl at heart. I love to soak, ignoring the sounds of my young teens pounding on the door, for a just a few minutes….hey, I deserve a break once in awhile. I usually use my own bath salts, but I lucked out recently when the people at LUSH sent me some of their special bath goodies to try.

The first thing I tried was a Bubble Bar known as The Comforter. LUSH offers their bubble baths in a solid form in order to use minimal packaging and avoid adding any preservatives. The Comforter bar is huge – I got 3 bubble baths (FULL of bubbles) out of one bar. It turns the tub water a fragrant pink and the bubbles were nuts. LUSH suggests that one bar is enough for 2 baths, but I bet you could get 4 baths out of one. Just crumble a piece off, toss it in when the water is running, and watch the bubbles grow.

A 7 ounce bar is $8.75. It’s scented with Blackcurrant from a Cassis Absolute, but I thought it smelled a lot like bubble gum. Yummy. You can get this same fragrance in LUSH’s Sweetie Pie shower jelly, Comforter solid perfume, and their “scrubby” body butter called You Snap the Whip.

The Up You Gets Emotibombs was my favorite item in the sample box. It’s scented with Lime, Grapefruit, and Lemon. The purpose of the bomb is to “Lime, grapefruit, and lemon slap your brain awake.” It smells incredible. Place it in the bottom of the shower and it will fix and dissolve as you shampoo and soap yourself clean. It’s meant for one shower, but I used it for more than one, because I’m thrifty that way.

A 3.2 ounce bar retails for $3.95. The Up You Gets Emotibomb is made with sodium bicarbonate, citric acid, essential oils, and no artificial anything. If you like a fresh Grapefruit fragrance as much as I do, then you can find it in LUSH’s Hippy Happy shower gel and their Whoosh shower jelly.

Watch for an additional LUSH review at a later date – I got to try a massage bar, too!

Image credit: Michelle Hamor Smith