Holiday Juicy Tubes

Lancome's new limited edition Juicy Tubes have come out for the holidays; this year they boast black accents. For my money, juicy tubes are a must for quick, sheer coverage on the go. My fave in this collection: Pretty in Pink, a cool pink with a hint of shimmer. It works great as a subtle nude lip with a matching smokey cat eye. Very Parisian and understated. C'est tres chic!

Stocking Stuffer Ideas

Need help with stocking stuffers?

--Fragrance Pocket Watch. $18

--Rudolf Lip Balm Set. $12 for 4

--Shopping Marathon Aromatherapy. $12 on sale

--Christmas Morning Bubble Bar. $5.95

--The Bright Stuff Body Mist Collection. $20

--Michael Kors Rollerball/Lipgloss combo. $22

--Hershey's Vanilla Creme Travel Candle. $10

--Pocket Redo Freshen-Up Wipes. $20

--Bvlgari Refreshing Towels. $25

--Claus Porto Liquid Hand Soap. $18

Getting Ready for a Fairy Tale

With the charming name of "Who's the Fairest," how could you possibly look anything but fairy tale perfect when you get ready using this whimsical mirror from Anthropologie? Perfect for the vanity, the brass twigs hold a double-sided mirror. I actually asked for this last year for Christmas, but they were sold out...hint, hint...

A Gift for Them and a Gift for You

Now through Saturday, December 6th, spend $100 on any beauty or fragrance purchase and get a $25 gift card; just use code GLAMCARD at checkout.

If you're unsure how to spend the $100, here are my recommendations:
--YSL Beaute Christmas Set. $60
--Bobbi Brown Shimmering Nudes Palette. $50
--Jo Malone Deluxe Soap Collection. $85
--Barbara Barry Living Room Spray. $42

A Fairytale Scent for the Holidays?

Cute packaging? Check. Charming name? Check. Pink shimmer? Double Check. A scent to match? Ehhh...

The Philosophy Sugar Plum Fairy scent is back for the holidays, and I didn't want to let another year go by without trying it out. Excited, I pour a glistening blob of gel into my hand...and smelled cough syrup. Seriously. I had flashback to when I was sick as a kid and my mom would force feed my cough syrup at night. It has the same sickeningly sweet smell. Yuck!

A Parisian Treat

I had my first Kir Royale in Paris when I was twenty; I felt sophisticated and chic as I sat in the Ritz sipping on the Champagne and Creme de Cassis cocktail--I swear it smells exactly the same. It's a moment I'll never forget, and I can relive it daily when I use the Philosophy Pink Bubbly lip gloss, exfoliating wash, or shower gel. Simply amazing, and I love the pink color.

A Glimmer of Shimmer

In college I would stock up on the hair glitter that was sold at Halloween, and wear it out at night. It looked great in pictures, put in person I was a walking Disco ball. I gave it up after college because I could no longer pull off the tacky glitter look. Now, however, I use Frederic Fekkai's Spray on Hair Crystals. The super-fine glitter leaves a subtle shimmer and light hold on my hair. I spray in on the underneath sections of my layers so that a little sparkle peeks out when my hair moves. This limited edition item is available in Champagne, Copper, and Bronze (I use Champagne).

Body Scrub for a Winter Glow

Every few years I make it to Park City to go skiing. One of my favorite parts of the trip is spending time in the Mountain Body store. It's small and cramped, and has so many products and scents it's almost a sensory overload--I love it! A product I make sure I pick up every time is the Body Glow. It "exfoliates and softens your skin, using fresh fruit extracts, healing mineral salt from the Great Salt Lake Basin, & avocado, sesame, apricot kernal, and jojoba oils for superior skin nourishment." And it really works; I get out of the shower with a thin layer of the oils still on my skin, and the scent lasts all day. I'm partial to the Lavender & Tangerine, but they're all good. It's not necessary to fly all the way to Utah anymore, not only will they ship it right to your door, but they're on sale right now!

A Morning Mojito

I stumbled out of bed this morning mumbling to to myself about how I wished it was Saturday, when I suddenly perked up. What was this miracle worker? Korres shower gel in Basil Lemon; suddenly I was not cursing the 5 day work week, but instead was laying on a chaise lounge in Mexico drinking a mojito. Normally I'm not a fan of anything that smells edible, but this was refreshing without being overwhelming. Plus, it creates the perfect amount of light suds without leaving any residue. I love that this entire line, produced by the oldest homeopathic pharmacy in Greece, is all natural, as well.

MAC Metal Urge Collection

In related MAC news, the new Metal Urge collection is awesome. As MAC says, the collection is "a rich new vein of rare earth-inspired shine and shadow is ready to be mined." My favorite: the cream-based eyeshadow in Verdigris. It's a toned down mermaid green color that has a smokey subtleness to it; I'm going to use it to line my eyes over black eyeliner. It would also work really well layered under the pigment in Spiritualize. So many choices, so little time...

MAC Monogram Collection

The new collection from MAC is something very different for them: a high end line. The prices are near double to what they normally are, ranging from $22-$70. The collection is packaged in gold and browns and includes lipstick, lip gloss, powder, brushes, fragrance, and a clutch. All in all, the colors are nice, but it reminds me of something I'd find from Estee Lauder. I would just as soon stick to their regular line (which is still fabulous), and save my money--you're basically just paying for the packaging.

'Perfectly' Disheveled Hair

I've tried many Sea Salt Sprays on my hair to give it that beachy, windblown look , but all it did was make my hair dry and sticky; it inevitably ended up in a ponytail. I had pretty much given up on the look, until I found Nick Chavez's product, Flocker. It's exactly what I've been looking for: it texturizes and gives lift without any stickiness. The texture is a lot like a hairspray, but you spray it in your palms and then scrunch it. Now, I'm not saying I looked as good as Jennifer Garner in this picture, but I was pretty darn close...

The Ultimate Clarifying Shampoo

Another one of my 'life changing products' is this clarifying shampoo by Frederick Fekkai. I use it about once a month to get rid of the buildup from my gels, conditioners, silicone serums, etc. It smells amazing--exactly like the apple cider it's name after. Also, it gets rid of all buildup without turning my hair to straw, and it leaves it soooo shiny. I've tried a lot of clarifying shampoos, but I keep coming back to this one. It's like a new beginning for my hair every time I use it.

Healthy Lip Gloss???

So, I received a full size sample of Borba lip tint in Luscious a while back, and was extremely excited to try it. Per Borba's packaging, this lip tint "boosts the visible benefits of all BORBA Nutraceuticals and Cosmeceutical products by harnessing the positive effects of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients everytime you lick your lips."

First of all, the scent/taste (supposedly Vanilla Mint) was somewhat nauseating. It was way too sweet and the scent gave me a headache. Second, I really think it made my lips dryer than they already were--I had to put chapstick on before I used it. Third, the color didn't go on smoothly. Overall, this was horrible. I do not lick my lips enough to get the amount vitamins that would make this product worthwhile. In fact, when I have this on I try not to lick my lips at all! I actually threw it away, and it takes A LOT to make me get rid of a beauty product. Has anybody else tried this product? What do you think?

Scent-sible Home Decor

How cute is this scented tassel from Agraria? It would look adorable hanging on the back of a chair or on a doorknob. They come in 8 different scent/color combinations, though I'm partial to the Mediterranean Jasmine (shown) which is a bouquet of Mediterranean jasmine, blooming honeysuckle, gardenia buds, freesia, lily of the valley and tuberose. And I love that I can still display it even after the scent fades.