Blogdorf Goodman

2009-07-10T06:42:00.000-05:00

Estee Lauder's Face Primer Plus
Illuminating Base

This is a product that we found at our local CCO store at Grove City. CCO stands for Cosmetic Company Outlets and features products from Lauder companies. You can find a great assortment from MAC, Bobbi Brown, Clinque, Origins and Prescriptives. The Lauder primer is something we have never seen at our local counter. It appears to be an asian exclusive based on the packaging.

This primer did not brighten my skin like MUFE's UV Prime SPF 50. Instead it added a pearly cast to my skin. The effect was pretty but it was too opal-like for me. I think this might be better to use as a highlighter product.

Lasting power as a full face primer was fair to poor. My makeup did not adhere very well throughout the day.

This is priced at $14 at your local CCO store.

2009-07-09T04:20:00.001-05:00

Functionalab at Bendel
by Jessica M

On my last visit to Henri Bendel in New York, I noticed a new display on the beauty floor: it’s a wall of shelves dedicated to products from Functionalab, a Montreal-based brand of “beauty-nutrition supplements.” Functionalab promotes the idea of inner health as the foundation of outer beauty, and it offers a wide range of formulas. You can shop “à la carte” by selecting individual supplements to target specific needs. Or, for a more complete analysis, you can consult with a Functionalab representative, take a ten-minute questionnaire, and receive a personalized program with a month’s worth of daily doses.

Functionalab’s vitamins and tonics are the most chic-looking health products you’ve ever seen: they’re all labeled with vibrantly colored symbols and lettering on pure white containers. The product codes imitate the Periodic Table of Elements (remember that, from high-school chemistry?) and some of the bottles are shaped like beakers and flasks from a futuristic science laboratory. And I noticed that one of the images in the display is a take-off of Robert Mapplethore’s iconic portrait of rocker-poet Patti Smith, but at least Functionalab is stealing from the best!

After looking through the shelves, I took home some brochures for further reading, and one basic product from the line: a bottle of Health Drops in the Antiox blend. Health Drops are concentrated liquids that you add to any beverage for a boost of vitamins, minerals, and natural extracts. One dropper-full of Antiox Health Drops contains as much antioxidant power as fifteen cups of green tea, which is wonderful if (like me) you’re more of a coffee-drinker but you still want to take in more of these super-nutrients. I’ve been adding my Health Drops to a glass of water with a lemon slice (where it gives a fresh, zingy flavor) or to my morning orange juice (where I can’t really taste it through the orange). Three other blends of Health Drops are available: Detox (with natural orange flavor), Focus (with peppermint), and Immune (berry-flavored).

I’m thinking of going back to Bendel for some Functionalab vitamins, such as the Pure Skin Beauty Dose (for balancing and revitalizing oily skin), but in the meantime, I’m feeling wellness-conscious – and cool – with the Health Drops bottle standing on my kitchen counter.

Functionalab Health Drops sells for $30. For more information, see http://www.functionalab.com. To contact Functionalab at Henri Bendel, call 212-247-1100 or 1-800-HBENDEL.

Product photo via Functionalab. Store photo by Jessica M.

2009-07-08T04:04:00.000-05:00

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Foundation
Review for Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Moisture Foundation

This is a very dense looking, high definition foundation that manages to feel and apply whispery light. The coverage skills are on par with the greats like La Mer, Kanebo, MUFE's High Definition foundation and Jill Stuart. I had no situations with caking, morphing or drying out. I did have some issues with it settling into my laugh lines. My laugh lines have been giving me grief lately. Foundation seems to be getting comfortable in their creases. Prescriptives Super Line Preventor Xtreme helps but situations rise every few hours. Hourly touch ups have become part of my daily ritual.

The coverage for Koh Gen Do is natural looking yet manages to mask every skin crisis. I used 3-5 tiny drops to get full coverage.

My color match was clearly #1, pictured on the far right of my arm.

All three shades are numbered 1-3. Number one being the most pale ivory shade to the very warm cocoa shade.

It blends in naturally and leaves a slight pearly sheen. It really is a gorgeous formula. This retails for $28 and is available online at their website. There appears to be three brick and mortar stores that carry this line. Nigel Beauty Emporium and Frends Beauty Supply Store in North Hollywood and Alcone Company in NYC.

For more information visit the website http://www.kohgendocosmetics.com/

The Aqua foundation and the white primer look very promising. I am currently testing the face powder and I am hooked.

2009-07-07T04:55:00.000-05:00

Are Friends Electric?
Review for Sheer Gloss from Bobbi Brown

These are glosses that leave a tinge of color with a whiff of candy cotton.
Sailor in the tube looks like a rapberry jelly. In reality it leaves a "just bitten" smidge of pink. This is a very wet looking gloss but without a annoying tacky feeling. I think it feels very balm-like.
Marina Pink looks vampy in the tube but on the lips it is a crushed berry. This is cool toned and way flattering. Marina Pink truly surprised and delighted me.

These are limited edition and retail for $20.
Visit http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com/ for more deets.
FYI: Sailor is still available online.

The post was inspired by the Gary Newman cover by The Dead Weather.
It is so damn good.
http://www.thedeadweather.com/media.html

2009-07-07T03:14:00.000-05:00

Lippie Announcement: Lancome Is Bringing The Pout-A-Porter Series Back

Lancome is bringing back the Pout- à-Porter Lipstick series! The previous four lipsticks in this collection were collaborations with celebrated designers Behnaz Sarafpour, Proenza Schouler, Peter Som and Thakoon.

For Spring 2010 Lancome will be collaborating with designer Chris Benz.
Lancome and Mr Benz will be doing a lipstick naming contest that was announced on Chris Benz’s Facebook fan page yesterday.

The new shade will be inspired by Chris’ Spring 2010 collection and will be worn by the models at his show in September. The contest winner will receive five of the lipsticks plus a $500 Lancôme gift certificate. All you have to do is post your suggestion on Chris’ Facebook fan page based on what you know about Chris and his fashion personality.

The deadline for submissions is Sunday, July 12th, at 5 p.m. EST.
Here’s the link to his fan page. While you’re there don’t forget to become a fan:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/CHRIS-BENZ/21549374999?ref=nf

Credits: Lancome, Blogdorf and Melanie Parker

2009-07-06T04:29:00.000-05:00

Sweet Smell of Success from Bond

Review for the Andy Warhol Success is a Job in New York

I knew that I would adore this new offering from Bond 9. It contains all the notes I love.
Plus my friend Shawn called me and said that I would flip my lid for it.
He knows my nose too well.

From the initial spray I was hooked. The whiff of the heavenly Bond Chinatown Cardamon note to a toasty Lexington Avenue Nutmeg are all hallmarks of success for the brand.
No one does it better.

It was the mid notes that changed gears and marked the departure from Chinatown and Lexington Avenue. The notes read like a floral explosion but the effect is light and whispery. The rose note is quite pretty and candy like. The jasmine note was also tamed and well behaved. I could only detect a whisper of a trace.
I desperately wanted to recognize the pimento note but alas... I failed.
My nose is a novice.
The tuberose is so quiet and mingles so well with the nutmeg. This is where the perfume just "does it" for me. The opposite pairing is so well matched and genius.
Like the great duo Myrna Loy and William Powell.

The drydown is a concoction of a very rich & creamy vanilla with warm patchouli and benzoin.
Success launches in October. It will be available at all Bond locations and at Saks counters. The prices will be $145 for 50 ml bottle and $220 for a 100 ml.

Credit: Bond and Wikiepdia

2009-07-05T11:42:00.002-05:00

Drugstore Deals and Steals

For July 5th through July 11th 2009

Target

Olay: 18-23.6 oz Olay Body Wash is priced at $4.99
Crest: Whitestrips Advanced Seal is priced at $34.99
Neutrogena: Pink Grapefruit Acne Wash( 6 oz cleanser or 4.2 scrub) is priced at $5.99
SPF 45 sunblock 3 oz Ultra Sheer lotion or 5 oz Fresh Cooling Mist is priced at $7.00each
CoverGirl: Simply Ageless foundation is priced at $12.99
L'Oreal: Preference or Feria hair color is priced at $7.99
Pantene: Pro-V 12.6 Nature Fusion and selected others are on sale for $3.33

Rite Aid

Nivea: There is a single check rebate available for lip care in the amount of $2.00
Sally Hansen: There is a single check rebate available for Xtreme Wear and Hard As Nails Nail Enamel in the amount of $1.00.
Pantene: 2 for $7 on shampoo, conditioner and stylers
Garnier Fructis: Shampoo, conditioner(25.4 oz) or treatments are priced at $4.99
Johnson's Baby Care: 2 for $6 on bath,lotion or shampoo(15 oz) and Detangler(13 oz)
Gilette: There is a single check rebate for $5.00 along with a manufacturers coupon(in newspapers) for $2.00 on the Venus razor. This would make the razor just 99 cents...so this is a great deal! I like both the Embrace and Spa Breeze version.
L'Oreal: Buy 1, get 1 FREE on lip, nail or eye cosmetics
Buy 1, get 1 FREE on Bare Naturale face cosmetics
Revlon: Buy 1, get 1 50% off on all lip cosmetics
Yes to Carrots: Buy 1, get 1 50% off on skin or hair care products
Maybelline: Buy 1, get 1 50% off on lip and mascara products
Maybelline nail color is priced at $1.99
Almay: 40% off Pure Blends, Smart Shade and Bright Eyes cosmetics
CoverGirl: Buy 1, get 1 50% off all cosmetics

Walgreens
Maybelline: Buy 1, get 1 50% off on cosmetics
Cetaphil: Cleanser, cream or lotion(16 oz) is priced at $7.99
CoverGirl: Buy $10 or more CoverGirl cosmetics, receive $3 in Register Rewards for your next purchase.

CVS

Pantene: Pro-V shampoo, conditioner(12.6-13.5 oz) or styler (6.5 oz-11.5 oz) is priced at $3.33 with CVS card
L'Oreal:Buy 1, get 1 FREE on all lip cosmetics
Buy L'Oreal foundation and get a FREE L'Oreal Blush, Powder or Concealer with CVS card
Buy 1, get 1 50% off on mascara, eye shadow or liner with CVS card
CoverGirl: Spend $15 and get $5 extra CVS bucks when you purchase any CoverGirl cosmetics with CVS card
Exact Eyelights, shadow, liner or mascara is priced at $7.00 with CVS card
Simply Ageless blush is priced at $10 with CVS card
Simply Ageless foundation is priced at $13 with CVS card
Revlon: With a purchase of a Super Lustrous lipstick priced at $6.29, you get a FREE Revlon Nail Enamel with CVS card

2009-07-02T06:59:00.002-05:00

It is raining and I have not had a cup of coffee yet. I have no blog posts in the can.

So I am bringing back the poll.

Fragrance of the day: I am wearing Sacrebleu . It was part of my beauty bounty from the Twitter Beautyhabit sale.

Lippie of the day: It is MAC's A Rose Romance with a smidge of Astral Glossimer from Chanel.

Eyeshadow theme: Daytime Smoke accomplished with the MAC Palette Smoking Eyes and Feline pencil. My mascara is Dior Iconic. This is my new HG mascara.

Currently Testing: I am loving the new Bond. It is called Andy Warhol Success is a Job in New York. It is everything I love. The Chinatown Cardamon and the Lexington Avenue's Nutmeg. Plus there is a lush jasmine, a rooty iris and a quiet tuberose. I will do a full review on Monday.
*Serious Smitten Status*

Song of the Day: Ida Maria's OMG...trying to drown out the chorus of Michael Jackson songs on the computer terminals.

RIP Mr Jackson...but I need a break from Thriller.

Current Lemming: I want the Cobalt Blue Travel Brush set from Lancome along with the first season of True Blood. I just fell for the series. It is no Buffy...but it will fill in the void.

I also covet the unreleased MAC nail polish from the Black collection called Baby Goth Girl. It is black with pink and violet pearl.

Have a wonderful holiday and weekend!

2009-06-30T17:15:00.003-05:00

Just found a slice of a scene for Gossip Girl, Season Three.
To keep this beauty related...the lippie is quite fetching.

There are many reasons why I can not wait for fall. I am looking forward to bonfires, chilly nights, the black collection from MAC and new episodes from Gossip Girl.

Credit: Youtube via lacelebs

2009-06-30T04:16:00.000-05:00

Fat Electrician by Etat Libre d'Orange: I Guess This is Not a Joke

So when I first read this...I thought it was a clever joke on perfumistas.
But this description and scent is for real.
Seriously.
I checked the perfume blogs and no one seems to have actually sniffed it. It is unavailable in the US and appears to be limited edition.

If you have sniffed Fat Electrician...the perfume...please post your thoughts in the comments.
I might be crazy but the notes and mixture sound quite fetching.

His beauty would have been his greatest asset.
One imagines he was raised in the big air of Texas, his soft skin scrubbed by ears of wheat, his eyelashes curled by grappling with grace against a blinding sun. A Midnight Cowboy lost on city asphalt. A fisherman without a line, he was made to be hooked by others, to believe in his fate without knowing it, to wreak havoc and forget it over time. Youth for women-of-a-certain-age, stock for late-night parties, a partner to accompany the wealthy of Palm Peach on nature walks, his splendor is consumed in the service of others. Now, a Fat Electrician in New Jersey, his talent depleted in his sexual decline.

To celebrate this beauty which cannot be recaptured, a splendid vetiver is required -an ode to bygone eroticism. Antoine Maisondieu has willed him white, metallic, silver like the ancestral green of olive leaves. But also sweet, demure, addictive like a chestnut cream – vanilla bean, opoponax and myrrh in the bottom notes. Intensely concentrated, resinous, flawlessly unrefined, it conveys a sensuality of contradiction. Because all beauty carries within itself the knowledge that it will not last.

Fat Electrician, 50ml 59 € only at the boutique 69 rue des Archives - Paris 3ème
Available in March 2009

http://www.etatlibredorange.com/blog/?p=442

2009-06-29T05:21:00.000-05:00

Lavender’s blue: Summer comes to Caron
A review by Jessica M

A trip to the Caron boutique in New York is always a treat for me, and I haven’t been there in a few months, so I was looking forward to my latest visit. The occasion was the United States release of Caron’s newest fragrance: Les Plus Belles Lavandes (“the most beautiful lavenders”).

Les Plus Belles Lavandes was created by the Caron “nose,” Richard Fraysse, as a lighter, more unisex interpretation of Pour Un Homme de Caron. It was inspired by the lavender fields of the South of France, and its notes include Provençal lavender, amber, vanilla, and musk. Les Plus Belles Lavandes is unusually lush and aromatic for a cologne. The freshness of the lavender is married with the creamy sweetness of the vanilla, and the hint of musk gives the dry-down a “skin-scent” feeling.

Lavandes is a delicious-smelling fragrance, but it’s not too heavy for warmer weather. If you’re always sorry to put aside your rich gourmand perfumes in the summer, this is something you should try. It’s available in a 3.4-oz. spray bottle ($80), and it’s only being offered in limited quantities in America at this time, so don’t wait too long if you’re interested!

While I was browsing in the boutique, I had the chance to admire Caron’s recently-added range of one-ounce, faux-shagreen atomizers. Ten fragrances are available in these bottles, and each one has its own color (black for Narcisse Noir, purple for the violety Aimez-Moi, and so on). Bellodgia, my favorite, is encased in carnation-pink.

And I had a sneak peek at an upcoming product line: Later this year, for the holiday season, Caron will be releasing limited edition bottles decorated with Swarovski crystals. The lay-down atomizers, standing bottles, and travel vials will be sold in several colors, to be filled with the fragrance of your choice. I can’t even imagine how sparkly these will be in person!

For more information, contact Diane Haska at Caron in New York. The phone number for the PhytoUniverse salon, where Caron is located, is 212-308-0270 and the address is 715 Lexington Avenue (enter on 58th Street), New York, NY 10022.

Bellodgia photo and store photos by Jessica M.
Swarovski-bottle image courtesy of Caron.

2009-06-29T03:32:00.000-05:00

QVC Alert

WHAT:
The 2009 Cosmetic Executive Women Beauty Insider’s Choice Award Winners and Finalists will be showcased nationwide on QVC. Beauty lovers everywhere can tune in to find special promotions on the best beauty products right at the click of a button.

WHO:
Carlotta Jacobson, President, CEW will join QVC host Patty Reilly and offer insider beauty advice to viewers. “Women don’t want to make buying mistakes. They’re looking for performance and value. With the CEW Beauty Insider’s Choice Awards, consumers have the advice of more than 4,000 beauty experts to lead them to the best products the industry has to offer,” says Jacobson.

Featured products will include everything from skin care, to hair care to cosmetics. A few of the highlighted products to be featured include :

· Clinique Even Better Skin Tone Corrector
· Fresh Appleseed Brightening Exfoliant
· Giorgio Armani Face Fabric Foundation
· Living Proof, Inc. Straight Making No Frizz Styling Cream for Medium to Thick Hair
· NIA 24® (2009 INDIE WINNER)
· Ojon Tawaka™ "The Ball"
. Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Eye Treatment
· YSL Rouge Volupté Silky Sensual Radiant Lipstick SPF 15
· Bare Escentuals Bareminerals 100% Natural Lip Gloss Duo
· Philosophy Hope in a Jar SPF 20

WHEN:
Monday, June 29, 2009 (Today!)
10:00 p.m. -12:00am EDT

WHERE:
QVC
For more information, visit http://www.cew.org/

2009-06-29T03:25:00.000-05:00

Shu Contest

Grand Prize: One year’s worth of Shu Uemura Art of Hair products, retail value approximately $1680.00.

This Sweepstakes begins at 12:00:00 AM Eastern Time (“ET”) on June 16, 2009 and ends at 11:59:59 PM ET on June 30th, 2009.

To enter, go to http://www.shuuemuraartofhair-usa.com/. Existing Shu Uemura Art of Hair registrants and Salon Professionals are not eligible for the sweepstakes. Consumer non–registrants must register by completing their online profile, providing their complete name, birth date, zip code and a valid e-mail address to be entered. Registration is free and you can cancel your membership at any time. All entries must be received by 11:59:59 PM ET on June 30th, 2009. Limit one entry per person/e-mail address.

2009-06-28T17:33:00.003-05:00

ELLE is launching an online community for makeup artists, both amateur and professional, to share their videos!

Each week, Elle will declare a new Video Star and award $250 worth of beauty goodies to the winner. Plus, because video stardom is based on the highest number of views, you can win again and again.

Bonus: Video Star favorites will get their faces and tips in the pages of ELLE magazine, with the most popular personality of the year winning $3000 in products!

I loved last weeks winner, Kandee Johnson video. She changed my life with her concealer tips!

This week:

Elle's 24 Gold Glam: I love how she is a shimmer fiend too! It is a great metal eye look.

Haifa Wahbe: Superior blending skills and she is just gorgeous!

Eleesa's Katy Perry Hair: I think I might need those rollers!

Lindy's Pussycat Dolls look: Ok...so I am not fan of that band.

However, Lindy is my personal pick for the win! Great cross selection of products and she is adorable.

Visit http://videostar.elle.com/ and let us know who you think should win in the comments!

2009-06-28T16:57:00.000-05:00

I'd asked around 10 or 15 people for suggestions.
Finally one lady friend asked the right question, 'Well, what do you love most?'
That's how I started painting money.
(Andy Warhol quote)

The following is a press release from Bond. This is a scent that will launch in October. I have not been lucky enough to sniff it yet. I have it on good authority that I will love it. It has cardamom and corinader notes with an oriental drydown.

Perfumes have always trafficked in the elusive and the taboo. And since nothing could be more elusive than money, particularly in our current economic downturn, we’ve made cash the inspiration and focus for the latest in the Bond No. 9 series of collectible Andy Warhol eaux de parfum. Appearing on both sides of the bottle is an image of one of Warhol’s iconic subjects, the almighty dollar sign created by Warhol in 1981, while inside is a fittingly rich and beckoning scent we’ve named Andy Warhol Success is a Job in New York . Prophetically, Warhol’s first assignment in the ‘50s as an illustrator was for a Glamour magazine article entitled “Success is a Job in New York.” The title was later used for a book about Warhol’s early career. Through hard work and leveraging his immense talent as a draftsman, Andy Warhol would become one of the most successful commercial artists in New York City thus laying the foundation to become one of the most important fine artists of the 20th century.
Wearing it will bring untold wealth.
(Just kidding, but in this economic downturn we all need a sense of humor.)

So here is the world’s first money-oriented perfume. Success breaks the rules of romantic perfume subjects, but it suits the Warholian consumer sensibility. Throughout his career, Warhol was fascinated with the connections between art and money. In the ‘60s, he painted Pop Art canvases with grids of banknotes, and he stuffed dollar bills into soup cans. Then in the early ‘80s, just as Reaganomics and Dynasty got under way and paintings became consumer items, he isolated the image of the dollar sign—sinuous yet with that ominous slash down the center—in a series of silk-screened “portraits.”

The Bottle
The Warhol image we chose for the Success bottle is not your typical banker’s dollar sign. Instead, this one has an in-your-face, trembling quality, dripping with paint and with seemingly tentative border outlines revealed—as if uncovering the connection between art and money. The colors we selected from the Warhol series of Dollar Signs in 1981, tongue-in-cheek neons (in fashion this fall), are unorthodox too: coral for the front of the bottle, bright blue for the back.

The Perfume
Just like money, the scent is genderless—a warm and spicy gourmand. And just like money, it lures and intoxicates all who give it a sniff. Its spicy-citrussy top- notes—coriander, cardamom, mandarin, bergamot—lead into a throbbing heart of jasmine, tuberose, rose, plum and pimento (of all things) that eventually segues into an oriental base of vanilla, patchouli, and amber.
Bond No. 9 Andy Warhol Success is a Job in New York, will be available in October 2009 at all four Bond No. 9 stores in New York and at select branches of Saks Fifth Avenue. It will retail for $220 (100ml) and $145(50ml).

2009-06-28T15:08:00.000-05:00

Drugstore Deals and Steals

For June 28th through July 4th 2009

Walgreens

Rimmel: Buy 1, get 1 FREE on lip and eye cosmetics
Nuetrogena: Buy 1, get 1 50% off on foundation, concealer, powder and blush
Sally Hansen: 40% off on nail treatments, HD nail color or LaCross implements
Ponds: 33% off skin care
Johnson's Skin Care: Buy 1, get 1 50% off lotion or body wash
Yes to Carrots: Buy 1, get 1 50% off hair or skin care
Sally Hansen: $2 off on hair removers
Olay: Buy 1, get 1 50% off on Complete skin care products
L'Oreal: Buy 1, get 1 FREE on lip or nail products

Rite Aid

Neutrogena: 40% off lip or eye cosmetics
Aveeno: 20% off on sun, skin, bath, facial and hair care products
Revlon: Buy 1, get 1 50% off face and eye cosmetics
Sally Hansen: Buy 1, get 1 50% off nail enamel
Physicians Formula: Buy 1, get 1 50% off cosmetics
L'Oreal: Advanced Revitalift, Age Perfect, or Collagen Filler is priced at $9.99
Maybelline: Pulse Perfection Vibrating Mascara is priced at $14.99

Target

Sally Hansen: Diamond Strength nail polish is priced at $3.29

CVS

Maybelline: $3.00 extra bucks reward on Pulse Perfection Vibrating Mascara with CVS Card. This offer lasts till Monday. The price will return to $14.99.
Maybelline: $1.00 extra CVS bucks with a purchase of Super Stay foundation or Color Sensational lip color with a CVS card
Almay: $3.00 extra CVS bucks with a purchase of Pure Blends lip gloss or eye shadow with CVS card
Physicians Formula Cosmetics: Buy 1, get 1 50% off with CVS card
Revlon: Buy 1, get 1 50% off on foundation, Powder, Blush or Concealer with CVS card
Neutrogena: Moisture or light night cream 2.25-4 oz(excludes Healthy Defense) is priced at $9.99 with CVS card
Cold cream 9.5-10.1 oz is priced at $6.99 with CVS Card
Towelettes 30 ct is priced at $5.99 with CVS card
Lumene: Save $5 on Time Freeze, Vitamin C+ or Premium Beauty products with CVS card

2009-06-25T17:34:00.003-05:00

The Farrah Effect, A Tribute
By Melanie Parker

For beauty addicts growing up in the 1970s, Farrah Fawcett was a style icon. It wasn’t just her larger than life hair, teeth, and sparkling eyes that made her a star. She was fit, tan, and married to the Bionic Man. Truly, a legend in her own time.

Girls who were just starting to read Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew, were not hypnotized by the “jiggle” of Charlie’s Angels like perhaps their older brothers and dads were. They wanted to grow up to be a crime fighter working with a couple of good girlfriends for an elusive mystery man, who never needed to jump in and save them. The Angels were good at their jobs and looked good doing it. Farrah’s Jill Munroe had the life and the look that many of us aspired to reach once we got out of school.

In 1978, Mego Toys released the Farrah Glamour Center and Styling Center. This big plastic doll head came with rollers, brushes, and makeup. Girls learned that if you couldn’t make Farrah look good, you best not try it on yourself.

I loved how the Farrah head’s hair actually grew by pulling it at the base, and I learned how to roll hair in rollers and style “wings” on the side. I also practiced using ponytails and barrettes in Farrah’s hair and dreamed of the day that I could walk in to a beauty salon and sit with a tight rubber swim cap on and be tortured with a metal hook used to pull out little strands of hair to bleach for the “frosted” look. If Farrah could endure it, I wanted to try. I learned that beauty didn’t always come easily.

I also learned from that Farrah head that frosty blue eye shadow was best left for Endora on Bewitched. If I couldn’t make Farrah look good with it, I knew I’d look ridiculous.

I also remember learning what a light touch you need to use when applying blush. Just one swoop and Farrah radiated, two swoops and she looked a little clownish.

Today, I look at Jessica Simpson, Julianne Hough, and Carrie Underwood and I see remnants of the Farrah effect 30 years later. So on behalf of all the little girls who learned to make curls, thank you Farrah. You earned your wings today.

Photo credit: Mego Toys, http://www.megomuseum.com and ebay.com

2009-06-25T05:01:00.001-05:00

One Crazy Summer with Chanel's Lumieres Facettes Plein Soleil Palette
The summer collection from Chanel was inspired by Monte Carlo to the seaside of Deauville. These were Coco Chanel's favorite resort destinations. The colors range from corals to pink sand. This is a collection that makes seasonal sense. The chosen colors are appropriate and perfect for warm weather.
Summer is all about shimmery sand, coral sunsets and punchy reds.

Plein Soleil(527) is a limited edition eye shadow palette from Chanel. The shades are warm with a slight pink cast. This is more apparent when the shadows are applied wet.

In fact this palette is magnificent with a wet application. The slightly chalky colors deepen and the sparkle comes out. The darkest shade is a cocoa color with a metallic rose cast. At first glance, it looks like it could be in the same color family as MAC's Gold Stroke. The Chanel shade is warmer, less shimmery and metallic. The other shades in the palette are in the metal family of golds.

The palette retails for $56 and is currently at your local Chanel counter.

The first two swatches were taken with a flash.
The last photograph was taken with no flash.

2009-06-24T05:10:00.000-05:00

Smoky Mountain High: Kanebo Sensai Eye Shadow Palette in Shiro Nadeshiko

I have swatched my favorite smoky eye palette from Kanebo. The Sensai color collection was inspired by the practice of Kasane. This is the layered colors used in silk kimono of the Japanese aristocracy during the Heian Period. The Kasane color patterns were influenced by nature and were worn in specific combinations according to the season and occasion.
Kanebo created a color collection with this practice in mind. There are layered cheek blushes and lipsticks. This pictured eye shadow palette was also part of this collection. According to Kanebo, the colors chosen for the Shiro Nadeshiko palette were drawn from the "quiet winter landscape".

I swatched three of the shades from the palette. The shade starting from the left is a cool pigeon gray. The middle shade is an ice queen silver. The last shade is a smoke stack with shimmery disco charcoals. The shadows have great texture, pigment and lasting power. I never suffer through any flaking or disappearing issues. The quality is very high.

The palette retails for $50 and is available at select Saks Fifth Avenue locations, Bergdorf Goodman, select Barneys and Takashimaya New York. Visit http://www.sensai-cosmetics.com/

or call 1-866-271-6815 for more information.

2009-06-23T19:05:00.003-05:00

Declaring Indigo by Lancome

You might be seeing this photo on all the blogs tonight. This is the first image released from the upcoming fall collection called Declaring Indigo. The color collection celebrates all things Paris. There will be red lipsticks (*silently begs the gods for a Behnaz dupe*)and a navy blue nail polish. Of course, there is more to this collection than that. My 100% focus is on that stunning brush set featured in the latest Allure magazine. I think Lancome has awakened the beast in me. That set has to be mine.

The brush set is exclusive to Nordstorm and is available for pre-order at this link: http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3037244/0~2376780~6009391~6016274~6018544?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6018544&P=1
***People: I have not ordered it yet...so please do make it sell out until after the weekend. I need to let my credit card cool down after the damage I did at the Beautyhabit sale this afternoon.***

Visit the Lancome blog and read Kerry Diamond's post about the collection:
http://www.thelancomeblog.blogspot.com/

2009-06-23T07:11:00.004-05:00

Shower Tales: Touch of Happiness
Moisturizing Body Wash by Nivea

I am taking my testing of shower gels very seriously. This one is ultra creamy yet the lather action is not on par with Olay. The scent is orange blossom. This is more breakfast than Serge Lutens. It is a ripe,pulp filled glass of orange juice. This a great wake up shower gel. It literally punches the sleep out of you!

My co-worker Kenny is currently using this product. He thinks the scent is much too strong. He complained that his shower puff reeks from it. This tells us that the staying power is "perfume level".
I never detected the bamboo essence note. I really looked for it!

A Touch of Happiness retails for $5.99 and is available at most drugstores.
Visit www.niveausa.com

2009-06-20T15:01:00.004-05:00

Covet-Worthy:
Lancome Cobalt Blue Brush Set

I have been struggling with a serious beauty rut lately. Nothing is bringing me any joy. I can not remember when I last gushed or swooned.
Then Lancome jump started this blogger's lemming heart!

These are the most beautiful makeup brushes I have ever seen. That pop of blue in a sea of ink! I die!

This is a picture taken of a picture in the new issue of Allure( It is low tech here in the Blogdorf office!). Allure reports that the brushes will be available on July 17th 2009 @ Nordstorm.com. It retails for $52. I have no other deets other than this. I have no clue if it is a Nordstorm exclusive or if the set will be available at local counters across the states.

All I know is...these will be mine.
Thank you Lancome for making my heart race.
Now Bring back Erika F!

2009-06-18T07:57:00.002-05:00

Bare Escentuals is Sharing the Love with 20% off!

Use promo code SHARE at BareEscentuals.com or print out the coupon at http://tinyurl.com/mdma7w.

This offer starts on Friday June 19th and ends June 21st.

Happy Shopping!

2009-06-18T05:13:00.001-05:00

Inspiration behind Chanel No. 5 Perfume

"I want to give women an artificial perfume," said Chanel. "Yes, I really do mean artificial, like a dress, something that has been made. I don't want any rose or lily of the valley, I want a perfume that is a composition." For the first time, large quantities of aldehydes, synthetic substances, were used in perfume to lighten the heady flower notes and to raise their sensuality toward refined seduction.

It is said that Ernest Beaux found the olfactory inspiration for N°5 around 1920, on his return from a military campaign that had taken him inside the Arctic Circle. During the midnight sun, the lakes and the rivers give off a very special fresh fragrance, which the perfumer was determined to recreate.

Info straight from chanel.com

2009-06-17T06:43:00.001-05:00

Nectar of the Gods: Naked Honey from MAC

I am late to the Naked Honey party. This was a collection that was not speaking to me on paper. It was too warm and there are more than enough bronzers in my drawer. The surprises were the skin care and a little shadow called Buckwheat.

The skin care is formulated by both organic beeswax and bio-converted honey. The scent is "spot on" clover honey. The salve is quite superior to many products on the market. It is soft and workable. It actually penetrates the skin instead of just coating it in goo.

Ingredients are organic beeswax, sunflower oil and petrolatum. It retails for $18.50($22.50 CDN). Many bloggers are raving over the Naked Honey Body wash. If you can locate it, the retail price is $19.50. It contains honey,lavender, narcissus, jasmine and blue agave. It sounds very Jo Malone-ish. There is also a hand & body cream along with two scents.

Do not fear the shimmery looking high-light powders. It is an overlay. The shimmer powder is fairly weak but the colors are quite fetching. I used a skunk due to the pigment power. My bronzer brush deposited too much product and color. Use a light hand.

This comes in two shades. Honey Light is a peachy gold while Golden Nectar(pictured above) is a golden bisque.

They retail for $24.50 each.

Let us know if you caved on any products or what you thought of the collection in the comments.