Frugal Snob

I don't think I need to spell out why this is an amazing gift at $55 (worth $350!).  I think you can pretty much get through the entire year (all four seasons) on these colors!  LORAC Double Booked Full Face Collection ($350 Value) $55

I am buying a dozen of these anti-aging eye rollers as stocking stuffers. I know my frugal snob friends will love them and continue to treat themselves to it! I keep mine in the fridge and when I wake up puffy and angry looking, I simply roll it around my eyes (towards the inner corners). Olay Regenerist Anti-Aging Eye Roller here $20.69

What's more fun than playing in a tub full of Philosophy bubbles?!  Well there is something more fun but this is a rated G beauty site so I won't get into that.  No need to pull out soap, shampoo, and bubble bath-- with Philosophy you get all three, and then some.  Philosophy Best of Sephora Set ($97 Value) Best of Sephora Set $55

Now isn't this the cutest little make up kit you've ever seen? Too Faced celebrated its 10 year anniversary with the Too Faced Decade of Glamour Beauty Wardrobe Makeup Collection. It comes with its most popular products for the past 10 years. This is a great try me kit for Too Faced, or I'm thinking of giving it as gifts to the younger ones in my family. It's cute just to display on their dresser, and I love the silhouette of the girl in the bronzer/blush. The products are all deluxe sample size but for $19.50 for a $195 value who can go wrong? It's got a variety of color and product so this is great for the experimenting beginner or the beauty lover like us!

Get it at Sephora for $19.50.

Things are getting 'curiouser and curiouser' this season. eye4style's looking forward to the Bergdorf Goodman holiday windows!

The Shoe Goddess still loves funky platforms, but lately she has had her eye on more classic shoes like this Yves Saint Laurent Pump!

I had been given the Guerlain 'Meteorites Voyage' Pressed Powder as a gift from one of my managers, and instantly fell in love with it. I love everything about Guerlain. It all just seems so luxurious to me. And this compact is no exception. It has that beautiful classic design on the top and is made of heavy metal. The powder inside is refillable so you don't always have to keep investing in the whole product. It's translucent, and I like to put it on just a bare face on lazy days. It helps just make my skin look perfect and natural. The secret is in the color spheres: Mauve attracts light, green tones down redness, pink imparts a healthy glow, gold and pearl create highlights, and white brightens. She also gave me this beautiful matching retractable brush, where the bristles are dyed to match the meteorites, but I don't think they sell it anymore. You can get it at Nordstroms for $160, and that's with the compact and the powder. The Guerlain Meteorites Compact Refills
are $55.

Check out these adorable holiday palettes from Shu Uemura!! Collaborating with acclaimed fashion designer Tsumori Chisato, shu has created a very special makeup collection called "Wish Upon a Star".  These will make perfect stocking stuffers and are will be great for traveling.  I like putting cream highlighter around the outer and inner corners of the eyes-- makes them sparkle and takes attention away from any unsightly lines. 

PLANET CAT COUTURE PALETTE

• Price : $65.00
• Available: Shu Uemera tsumori chisato limited edition planet cat couture palette

RADIANT RIBBON COUTURE PALETTE

• 3 Pressed eye shadows, 1 cream eyeliner, 1 cream highlighter, 2 double-ended applicators, 1 glow on
• Price: $65.00
• Available: Shu Uemera tsumori chisato limited edition radiant ribbon couture palette 

Blackheads. We all have them and we all hate them.

What is a blackhead?
These are large pores that contain oil that has oxidized with the air causing it to turn black.

There have been countless products sold through the years that claimed to remove them, but nothing seems to be effective. (Remember the pore-cleansing strips that were sold years ago for blackhead removal? All they did was remove hairs on the nose.) Some estheticians will use a suction device that claims to "vacuum" them out of the pores, but all it does is cause redness and potentially damage capillaries.

What you can do?
Although there is no way to permanently get rid of blackheads, your best bet is regular monthly deep pore cleansing facials where the blackheads are manually extracted from the skin. Go to an experienced, trusted esthetician who will properly soften up the skin and gently remove them without injuring the skin. I recommend post-facial to use an Alpha Hydroxy Acid or Beta Hydroxy Acid product (try Renée Rouleau Glycolic Serum) to keep the pores cleaned out. Long term use of Retin-A can also help but it has to be used regularly and for years before you can really see a difference. Avoid the ingredients Isopropyl Myristate and Isopropyl Palmitate in your skin care products as these can contribute to the formation of blackheads.

Bottom line: Don't get fooled by anyone selling you products that claim to remove blackheads. Trust me, if there was a cure, we would all know about it and I'd be the first to bring it to you. I've been squeezing out blackheads out of my client's skin for over 20 years and my hands are getting tired!

Renee Rouleau Skin Care