Champagne Life

Christmas has come and gone and I survived quite nicely. My Christmas morning was filled with an enormous ornately carved Balinese screen, an amazing designer handbag, beautiful handcrafted jewelry, A little blue bag of Tiffany for Tiffany and so many other amazing unexpected gifts. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful family and boyfriend. Remember my last post when I was was telling y'all some of my Christmas list? Well Santa decided to pay me a visit and make one of my holiday wishes come true!

The one item I was certain that I wouldn't be getting was the ultra exclusive, completely dreamy Tom Ford Champacha Absolute fragrance that my mother and I were introduced to right before Christmas. Sneaky mom decided that there would be nothing stopping her from having that fragrance for her own and told my father. He in turn had me (his online shopping guru) order a bottle for her for Christmas. BUT WAIT!!! In an unforeseen turn of events my father in a moment of sheer Christmas spirit told me to order one for myself too! Words cant even convey my joy. It was even more fab when it arrived!!! I will be wearing this one very sparingly and guarding it with my life.
I also bought myself a Christmas present. Well, its really for my hair. I finally broke down and sprung for the Moroccan Oil Treatment I was talking about, but before I could get out of the door I was hipped to their Restorative Hair Mask. My hair was just about ready to jump ship with the way the weather has been. Everything from the drying heat in the house, to the 20 degree weather outside, to scarves and hats and the normal wear and tear of flat irons and hair dryers. My hair has been seriously unhappy with me. If it were possible, my hair would have already called the authorities on me for assault with intent to maim as it was just about at the pine needle stage where it was just falling all over my shoulders in protest.
I have to say that this has been one of the best purchases I have made for my hair since Wen. Its also super easy. Shampoo and towel dry hair, apply a generous amount of Restorative Hair Mask and go relax for 10 min. No heat necessary (that's the part I think I like the most) just rinse and add Moroccan Oil Treatment to damp hair and style as usual. My hair hasn't been this soft in ages and the oil treatment is made for all types of hair. It absorbs completely, cuts drying time in half, wont weigh your hair down, protects from heat styling and leaves your hair shiny and oh so pretty. The Restorative Hair Mask is $40 and Moroccan Oil Treatment is $39 on Follica.com. Don't skimp either ladies. Get the real stuff. Not all Argan oil products are created equal.

I also went to my favorite nail technician to get my Christmas mani/pedi. Somehow, I managed to forget all the work I would be doing in the kitchen on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and of course my poor little nails were chipped almost immediately. Since I have chosen to spend a quiet New Years Eve night in with my wonderful boyfriend, I will not be going back to get a fancy new manicure to make up for the ruined one. This is probably a good idea considering I got a sneak peek at the new OPI Katy Perry line coming out in January. I will just stack my pennies and get my New Year's manicure with some fab new shades.

Speaking of which, there is only one week before the end of 2010 and busy working and social ladies everywhere have their calendars booked. Even if you don't have somewhere to go looking stunning for NYE you should still be fab as you strut into 2011. You want to shine and sparkle like a diamond? Become instantly golden and bubbly for all the world to see? The answer is Cham Pale!!

MAC has a new collection just in time for NYE! Cham Pale is full of golden sparkling tones and shades. 4 new beautiful Lipgelee's ranging from Luxure in pink pearl to Straight to the Head a sparkly bronze. My all time favorite paint pots in Let Me Pop, a Frosted light copper and Dangerous Cuvee, a frosted cool grey.

The line also includes MAC skincare products such as their Complete Comfort Creme that is super hydrating while reducing redness and soothing stressed out skin. There is also an amazing Lip Conditioner with SPF 15 and French Lavender which is tres magnifique!

Even though this line just hit the counters on December 26th, you know that it wont be around very long and trust me this is not a product line you want to miss. Let's toast it up!

Moisture Maximum

Oh I am so sorry for being missing in action for so long! I was without internet access for what seemed like an eternity. But you folks dont want to hear about that do you? No, you want to hear all about the wonderful goodies that I have been trying and using and loving over the past few months right?

Well first, let me tell you that its been so extra cold here on the east coast, and without a few wonderful products I possibly wouldnt have made it this far. Everyone knows that its important to moisturize, but that isnt just for your lovely faces. I have had my share of moisturizers for face and body over the years but very few have been able to effectivly do the job. Either they are way too heavy and wind up breaking me out, or they are too thin and I feel dry and cracked before I can get out of the house. We all know that well moisturized skin can keep foundation flawless and perfect for hours so let me tell you about a few that I love in several different price ranges.

First, for my oil-free and sensitive skin ladies who are prone to breakouts I highly reccomend Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 15. Its what I have used for years and it has SPF 15 which we all need whether its summer or winter to protect our skin. It hydrates and absorbs clean, without clogging pores and causing any winter skin trauma. You can purchase it from your favorite drugstore or Drugstore.com for $10.99.

Also, for a great low cost alternative, you should also try out ProActive Solution Oil Free Moisture. Its a very light weight soft and clean formula that coupled with the Proactive family of products will keep away those pesky blemishes that we always worry about. My skin is always soft and healthy feeling when I use it and my makeup goes on perfectly over it. Its never oily and never sticky feeling. You can purchase it from Proactiv's website or even in the mall. They now have kiosks everywhere but prices may vary of course. You can also purchase it directly from QVC for $27.00.

On the higher end of the scale is MAC's new MoistureLush cream. Talk about lush, this silky smooth hydrating cream creates an amazing barrier against the elements. Its not heavy or thick but it feels amazing and softens skin all day long. It primes, hydrates and in combination with Mousturelush eyecream, lifts, firms and rejuvinates. You can use them day or night for wonderfully soft and beautiful skin. You can get both now at your local MAC store or online. MAC Moisturelush Cream retails for $30.00 and MoistureLush Eye Cream retails for $$28.50.

Last but certianly not least is Elizabeth Arden's new Prevage anti aging night cream which not only hydrates but its night-time formula with has a time released blend of high performance moisturizers to infuse skin and boost skin's repair process. This stuff is absolutly on the high end of the moisturizer scale at $125.00 retail, but I know that some of you wont bat an eyelash at the price. I was very plesantly surprised by the results that I achieved in two weeks of use. I havent had great luck with night creams and have in the past tried to avoid using them to to how greasy and heavy some of them have been, but this one is very light and I didnt wake up itchy, flaky or broken out. I do have to alert you to the fact that this is a cream you need to do an allergy test on, so please do so like the package suggests. You can buy Prevage on Elizabeth Arden's website or at your Elizabeth Arden counter.

Stay soft, stay pretty and always moisturize!

Beauty Biology

Okay Ladies, so you know every once in a while I give you the scoop on something extra fab with a extra high price tag. Today would be that day. You know I am all about giving you the real deal on things you can afford, and I know some of you ladies are doing extra big things on your day jobs, so perhaps its just little old me that cant afford certain products.

I was given the opportunity to test out a facial serum a few weeks ago that is made from marine enzymes from the coastal shores of Iceland. I know, I scratched my head too, but give me a moment to clarify. Dr. Bragi, a professor of Biochemistry at the University of Iceland developed this patented age management marine enzyme serum to combat the signs of aging.

Just a small amount daily helps to smooth and refine skins surface cells. It moisturizes and removes dull surface cells while helping to relieve inflammation and irritations. I am always so nervous about skin serums because I have such sensitive skin, but I had no trouble using the Marine Enzyme serum. It was very gentle to my skin and I didn't break out from it at all. Apparently its both artificial additive and chemical free and non-greasy which is always where I seem to have the most problems with skin products.

According to Dr. Bragi's website the enzyme is found in the depths of the ocean where temperatures are extremely low, so it becomes super-active when warmed by body heat, making its able to penetrate deep into skin. I did find that after a week my skin was noticeably smoother and softer. I don't know about its wrinkle reduction ability, as I don't have any wrinkles yet, but I am sure if I did they would be greatly reduced....I hope.

So, now you are thinking about where you might be able to get this wonderful serum. Well first, let me point out that its great, but I suggest requesting a sample of it from Dr. Bragi's website before you go plunk down your money. You can purchase the Marine Enzyme at Bliss.com for $240. Now, I couldn't tell from either website just how much serum you get for your money, as they didn't give a quantity in ounces, but perhaps I just overlooked it.

If you want to do a little more reading on Dr. Bragi or his Marine Enzyme you can check it out here. http://www.drbragi.com/

Enjoy!

You Get What You Pay For

Its funny what you can stumble across in the course of your day. A few weeks ago I ordered something small from the Neiman Marcus website, and they threw in a free gift. I free gift from Chanel sounded like an oxymoron but I figured I might give it a test run. The free product was Chanel's Sublimage Essential Regenerating Cream. It came in a tiny little glass container and the tiny little insert that came with it read "Skin becomes beautifully taut. Silken and supple. Glowing with the look of good health". Its made from the Vanilla Planifolia plant found in farthest reaches of Madagascar.

So last week I started dabbing on a little (very little) under and around my eyes, on my forehead and where my laugh lines will be some day soon. The first thing I noticed was that it made my skin unbelievably soft and supple. I didn’t really see taut, but I was going to bed and who needs to be taut while they sleep? This morning, after my 5th evening of dabbing, I realized how smooth and line free my skin looked. I was shocked! Well, maybe not THAT shocked this stuff is Chanel. My skin is soft all day, and I venture to say that the texture has changed as well. Its just an overall improvement in look and feel.

So when I got into the office this morning I decided to see how much my "free" gift is regular priced. I am so sorry I did. A 1.7 ounce jar is $350!! Who can afford that? I sure cant. So ladies while I love the results, I just don’t have that kind of disposable income and I don’t know many ladies that do. Basically, Sublimage is great if you have the cash for it, and it does what it claims to do, without causing breakouts, but unless you are willing to head your own expedition to Madagascar, its gonna cost you. My next assignment is to find out what works just as well for considerably less. Today's product must have a cost conscious cousin that I can use, and when I find it I will report back. Wish me luck!