I seriously thought no exfoliating product could get better than Origins Modern Friction . Until I tried this product…

Bobbi Brown Buffing Grains leave my skin feeling softer than a (insert idiom here). While some exfoliants leave your skin feeling dry afterwards, I never feel that way with Bobbi’s solution. Bobbi has seemed to find a way to balance the effectiveness of an exfoliant without completely unbalancing your skin chemistry.


I typically use this with water about once a week. You can also combine it with your everyday face cleanser.


The Spiel – A true skincare innovation. These luxurious grains can be mixed with any Bobbi Brown cleanser or water to create a fully customized, gentle exfoliator for the face. Comes in a glass bottle with pour top for easy use. Formulated with Japanese Adzuki Bean Powder to help remove dry surface patches and encourage skin cell turnover.


Have you ever tried this product? What is your favorite exfoliant?

Update – Top Spring 2011 Nail Colors

Metallic

Glittery, metallic polishes in any color are super fun and flirty options to brighten your Winter blahs. Choose a shade from OPI’s Burlesque Collection or go for a tried and true metallic like Essie’s golden nuggets or silver bullions.

Super Dark

The black nail trend has been pushed to the side this Winter in favor of super dark colors that are almost black, but with just a touch of color. Look to Essie’s Winter Collection for colors like Smoking Hot or Masquerade Belle.

Red

In the spirit of the classic red lipstick resurgence, classic red polish is super hot this Winter. Choose a shade that’s fire engine red like Chanel’s Dragon, Essie’s Silken Cord or OPI’s Color So Hot It Berns.

Green

I haven’t been brave enough to try green polish yet. Maybe now is the time! Green polish is perfect for those who want to stand out from the crowd. Look for OPI’s Cuckoo For This Color, Essie’s Going Incognito or MAC’s Jade Dragon.

What color will you be wearing this Winter? Will you try something new or stick with your tried and true?


Two Years Ago – How To Host A Clothing or Purse Swap

For Christmas, I knew I wanted to buy my Sister-in-Law something fabulous makeup-wise. She’s totally adorable and goes nuts over fun products. She’s also one of those people who looks absolutely fabulous in drugstore makeup and rarely buys department store options for herself.


Sephora had a cute gift set that included the ever-popular Orgasm blush, bronzer and lip gloss. A multiple orgasm set, if you will. I was sold.


But, the Sephora salesguy wasn’t done with me. With his bedazzled eyelids, bright blue shadow and flock of seagulls hair, he completely Derek Zoolandered me. He even tsk-tsked my beloved Bobbi eyeshadow. When he was finished, I looked in the mirror and – holy school for kids who can’t read good – I looked amazing. I told him so and he just shrugged, pointed at the NARS gift set that contained all the products he’d used and walked away.


So, yeah, I bought myself a gift set for Christmas. Sue me.


Here’s what was in it:

NARS eyeshadow palette


This little dandy includes 6 shadows including one cream shadow (the top left). When bedazzled Zoolander made up my ‘poor Bobbie eyes’, he used all 4 of the lighter colors for my lids. The top middle shade for an all-over lid color, the bottom right for the lid into the crease and the bottom middle for the crease and outside lid. He used the cream shadow as a highlight. Then, he lined my lids with the blue shadow on the bottom right. Since then, I’ve experimented with the brown and love it as well! These shadows work far better than my Bobbi shadows, lasting much longer and blending with each other easier. Of course, they work far better when paired with a primer.





NARS Laguna Bronzer


I’ve been a fan of my Guerlain bronzer for about a year (gifted from my SIL, incidentally) and didn’t even try this bronzer for the first week I had it. When I did, I was quite impressed. Unlike other bronzers, it doesn’t leave streaks…it goes on very light requiring no extra rubbing in. And, it’s the perfect shade for the Winter months. Just a touch of color instead of that sun-kissed look my Guerlain gives (I’ll save it for the Summer).





NARS The Multiple Orgasm


The name alone has to make you love this product. The multiple is so-called because it can be used in multiple spots – your cheeks, lips, eyes, neck, etc. It gives you a nice flush…one you might get from an org..*ahem. I think you get the point.
I particularly like the texture of this product. It’s creamy in the applicator, but applies like a powder. And, it comes in a handy applicator that doesn’t require a brush – perfect for your purse.





NARS Lip Gloss Ophelia


This lip gloss is one of the very best I’ve used. It’s about the same shade as my lips so when it starts to wear off, it’s not obvious. It also seems to moisturize my lips instead of drying them out.

Each of the items were on the small size, so the price for the overall kit was super reasonable. And, it gave me a taste of which products I can’t live without.


Have you ever tried NARS products?


Last Year – Style Resolutions

To wear this Fall’s hottest colors and not look like Elvira, follow these simple steps.

Length:

It’s always a girl’s goal to grow her nails long. The desire to have long, elegant nails is why we cry ‘oh, I broke a nail’ and mourn the loss of our broken nails. If you are going to wear a dark Fall polish, you’ll have to get out the clippers and say goodbye to your long nails.


Long dark nails have a tendency to look vampish and gothic. Unless that is what you’re going for, trim your nails to no longer than just beyond the finger–when you look at the pads of your fingers, you should see just the tip of your nails.

Shape:

Rounded nails were the shape of choice in the 80′s and early 90′s. The most stylish shape has been square or square with rounded edges for quite some time. Until now. The turn back to more natural looks (full eyebrows, subtle makeup, tinted moisturizers) has brought rounded nails back as well.


This is especially true when wearing dark polish colors. Square shaped nails can look harsh when painted with a deep color. And, since your nails are shorter when you wear dark colors, short square shaped nails have a tendency to make your nails look like they’ve been bitten to the quick.


For a more elegant look, round the edges of your nails.