March 2007 Archives

Yesterday WWD reported that Marc Jacobs has checked himself into rehab. He flew straight from Paris where he was showing his Louis Vuitton collection to Arizona where he entered rehab for drugs and alcohol for the second time after spending seven years sober.
While we might not always love Marc’s designs, we will always love him and we here at BeautySnob wish him the best for a speedy and safe recovery. He is a tastemaker and a trendsetter and we couldn’t picture our fashion and beauty worlds without him. Get better soon Marc!

Source: WWD

Our frugal Beauty Snobs will be excited to hear that one of the top pharmacy brand of products from England, Boots, is debuting at Target nationwide this month. My friends and I are secretly obsessed with Target, where else can you pick up a potty trainer for your two year old, a DVD player, and lipgloss? Now you can add Boots' extensive line of beauty products to your Target shopping list. I tried a few of it's products and was impressed with the quality at such reasonable prices. My favorite is the "Instant Eye Reviver". I got it a few weeks ago but have not had a chance to try it out until last night when I was getting ready for yet another gala. I applied the pale pink hued eye reviver under my eyes and it made me look more awake (I think the pink light diffusing particles counteracts the black circles). There are extracts of ginseng and apple mixed with vitamins A & C help reduce dark circles and under-eye puffiness and I have not used it long enough to know if that's true but for a quick fix over your make up, it's a winner. The price is also fantastic $16.99 at Target.

I want to take a moment to talk about a program that means a lot to me. It’s called “Look Good, Feel Better,” and it’s a program put on by the American Cancer Society for women who are going through chemotherapy and radiation. It shows women of all ages how to put on makeup and style their wigs so they achieve a natural look while going through treatment. More importantly, it teaches them not to feel out of place, or less like a woman in a society that relies so heavily on physical beauty. I’ve attended one of these sessions with someone very close to me and I know that it meant a great deal to her to be treated like a woman instead of a clinical case study. The program also gives women a chance to socialize with others going through the same thing in an environment that’s less formal than a therapy group. I’m telling you guys about this because a lot of you are talented in makeup or hair, or know someone who is. I know this program means a lot to so many women and the more people who know about it, the better the potential it has to grow!

I am still in New York and this crazy freezing weather has made my skin patchy and dry, thank god I remembered to pack my Awake Skin Renovation Mask or I'd be hiding behind a ski mask like the delivery guy who brought us food in the snowstorm yesterday. It comes in 8 little packs which make it easy to travel with but more importantly, keeps it all fresh and free from contamination until you are ready to pop it open! I've used this for years and years and it is still one of the best moisture masks I've ever tried (especially if you have dry skin although it works on all skin types). It will feel really greasy to you at first but slather it all over your face, neck, and chest and you will feel your skin tingle with delight. I was told the mask stimulates circulation by promoting an environment similar to a steaming sauna to prevent moisture loss and I have to say, my skin feels buttery soft after I use it. And yes, I also slather this all over my face on long flights. Trust me, I am a sight to be seen while traveling overseas! $80 at Neiman Marcus (You can use half a pack at a time and put the rest in the fridge until you need it again)

I never travel without my Carita Eye Contour Micro masks, it's especially effective on long flights overseas! I usually wait until all the lights are off before putting it on but there have been times when I would stick on my big ol' eye masks and go to sleep without regard to what other passengers thought. It keeps the area around my eyes hydrated and after a 15 hour flight, I don't look like a total hag. When traveling domestically, however, I usually wait until I arrive at my destination before practising my beauty-craft :) Carita is a great French line that is not always available in the US so I usually stock up when I'm in Paris or Hong Kong but you can now purchase directly from the Carita site. I leave the eye masks on for at least 30 minutes and then I stick it on my naso-labial folds, neck, or hands afterwards to get maximum use out of it (I'm Chinese and was taught not to be wasteful!). I've been in New York working with Kelly for almost a week and I am averaging 5 hours of sleep a night instead of the 10 hours I usually require to look decent but with this eye mask, my eyes are free of black circles and lines. Try it, I promise you'll love it! $69 USD.

Post by Michelle
I eat a lot of organic food. I try to keep things as simple and natural as I can when it comes to what I put in my body. When someone told me about Juice Beauty, an all natural, organic cosmetic line I was shocked I never thought to go green when it came to my skin care. With all natural ingredients that you can actually pronounce, Juice Beauty is trying to spread the word that organic is better. Their line is made with organically farmed products which mean that your makeup (and body!) is spared the potentially harmful toxins and chemicals found in other products. Right now the only major retailer they’re sold at is Sephora.com, but their entire line is available on their website www.juicebeauty.com. I’m planning on trying it soon, so I’ll let you guys know when I do, but in the meantime have any of you tried organic beauty products? What are your thoughts on the idea?

Post by Michelle
So, you’re on the overnight to Europe, you’ve slept funny, the flight attendant is snapping at you to put up the window shade and your fabulous partner is waiting for you at the airport. You stumble to the bathroom to try and make yourself presentable before you touch down and realize that all your hair products are packed away in your checked baggage for fear that the massive security guard at the airport was going to take away your $35 bottle of shampoo. My recommendation is Redo, from Jonathan Products. This is a line I’m slowly getting into and love more and more with each product I try. Redo is designed to freshen up hair that is a little dirty and a little stale. It lets you rework your hair without washing it. (Which is great, because overwashing can lead to dried out hair!) It’s great smelling and conditions hair while it neutralizes the odor. It also comes in airline approved sizes! It can also be used to refresh skin as well, so use it after flights when the recycled air has wreaked havoc on your skin. Jonathan Product Redo Freshen-Up Mist for Hair & Skin

This week's Beauty Profile is our favorite soy latte guzzling, stiletto heel wearing, girl about town, Kristopher Dukes! We absolutely adore Kristopher's sultry writing style and see her as our little sister Snob (she's only 22 and has been published since she was 16!) So kick back, grab a soy latte and oh la love your way to fabulousness!

You want to know the secret to the non-smearing, non-running eyeliner? Use eyeshadow and wet it into a liquid liner with Paula Dorf's Transformer. I have gone through every kind of eyeliner and I always get the black eye look after a few hours of wear and let me tell you, this has been going on since I was 13 when I started wearing eyeliner so there has been many years of trial and error. I finally discovered this secret when I got a professional makeover and my eyeliner has been clean and fresh ever since. The makeup artist used mineral water (she sprayed the eyeliner brush with Evian) and when I went home I used tap water until I realized that overtime the residue from impurities in the water ruined my eyeshadow (not to mention my precious brush)! Although purified water works just as well, I find the Paula Dorf Transformer to be convenient and easy to use, the drip top puts in just the right amount of liquid I need and I always have it in my cosmetic case (otherwise, I have to hunt around for a bottle of water and without an eyedropper I can't ever get the right amount I need for the perfect application). I am not sure what is actually in the "magic solution" but it does make the resulting liquid eyeliner smoother than just regular water. Available at Sephora for $17.

What I'm about to share is kind of gross so skip to the next entry if you'd like. Ready? Still here? I only wash my hair twice a week. Yup, rain or shine, twice a week. But I swear it does not look dirty, just ask my friends! I brush it from roots to ends daily with the Mason Pearson brush my sweet friend Terry sent me and it distributes the oils in my hair and makes it look glossy. Is that gross? But I promise I am not one of those crazy smelly people who don't bathe, I just don't believe in washing my hair too often. It keeps my hair free of split ends and you should see how long and healthy it is! Some days I need a little boost and I use P2 refres H air Dry Clean Shine from Philip Pelusi. It's described as "Dry clean in an instant for time crunched people. Removes up to 50% of hair debris sans shower." and I can tell you it does exactly that. Everyone I told about it have bought it and all love it! Look for a distributor near you or call (412) 488-8951 Actually, my hair is a bit too long and I can't wait to see Philip tomorrow in New York for a haircut!! He takes appointments only on Thursdays and Fridays in New York, 212 463 8213, you will seriously get the best haircut of your life!

Here's how it goes down:
Day 1- Straight and shiny hair blown dry
Day 2- Hot rollers (did you know hair curls better when it's a bit dirty?) BabyLiss is my favorite- all giant rollers and none of the tiny annoying rollers that are useless.
Day 3- Ponytail or the Stepford wife "half up" if curls from day before have not completely fizzled.
Day 4- Shampoo!