Recently in Face Category

I'm so disappointed! We all love DiorShow Mascara and Dior makes some wonderful skincare products, but I recently picked-up Dior Cleansing Water For Face And Eyes ($29) at Sephora and it's nothing short of awful! I didn't use it on my face, just for my eyes and it completely dried them out. Also it did barely any cleansing. Refreshing? Forget about it. It's bad enough when I try out a product from a new brand and I'm let down, but when one of my go-to brands fails me it's nothing short of disheartening!

Face the new year and the upcoming bloom of spring with an extravagant skin cream.  Decadent and luxurious, CHANEL raised the bar in skincare with the creation of SUBLIMAGE TEXTURE UNIVERSELLE Essential Regenerating Cream, the ultimate in anti-aging luxury.

I received this over a month ago and didn't want to do my review without giving it the proper due diligence and length of time it deserves.  After using it nightly (and sometimes daily under make up if the weather is warm) for over a month, I am in love.  This is best for our beauty snobs in warmer climates or have oily/combination skin who don't want the weight of a heavy cream yet would like to have the anti-aging benefits of one. 

What I love is the texture of this cream-- it is like light weight cashmere; whipped to perfection so you can massage into your skin without the cream feeling sticky. I am all about the facial massage!  But the lightness ends at the texture, this is a super powerful hydrating cream that keeps my skin glowing all day long-- the perfect campanion to the SUBLIMAGE TEXTURE SUPREME which is for colder climates (or at night) so you can globe trot without missing a beat.  It's a bit early in the year to declare my favorites but this will definitely be on my best of list.  You must try this-- go to the Chanel counter and ask for a sample since it is a bit pricey.  $375 at Chanel.com

Every now and then after a long night out friends will end-up too tired to make it home and end-up sleeping over at my apartment. Such an occasion came about the day after New Year and the reason I bring it up is because deep in one of my bathroom shelves my friend Yael busted-out a cleanser that I quiet honestly completely forgot I had. The cleanser in question is the Balance Clarifying Cleanser ($32). It's a pretty obscure product and my friend isn't particularly big when it comes to beauty products so I was surprised she recognized it, but supposedly it's a refreshing cleanser. It's formulated with Lactic Acid for exfoliation and Botanical Extracts to restore oil and promote healthy skin. There's also Glycolic Acid which smoothes skin and helps to decrease pore size, and Salicylic Acid to help clear-up your skin. I've only used it once and despite it having Shea Butter which usually provides moisture, I felt that I needed to use more face moisturizer afterward than usual on my skin which wouldn't be such a big deal if it weren't for the $32 price tag of this cleanser. Just goes to show that not only do people react differently especially when it comes to skincare, but that even a cleanser formulated with some great ingredients doesn't always work for your skin -- guess that's what gives us all excuses to experiment!

Below is the second and final installment of 2008 Snob Trends!

11. Healthy Candles: Who knew that candles could be a health hazard? The folks at Lavanila thankfully! This year candle lovers could breath easy knowing that they weren't inhaling the chemicals contained in many traditional paraffin candles -- which release toxins and soot that cause damage comparable to second-hand smoking -- thanks to Lavanila's Healthy Candle .

12. Pricey Skin Care: At $400 for 6.7 oz Kanebo's Sensai Premier Body Cream is pricier than La Mer, so obviously this peaked everyone's interest! Haven't tried it for myself, but judging by the quality of the Kanebo products that I have tried, I imagine that it's simply divine..ahhhh:)

13. Diffusers: Everywhere I go --bedrooms, bathrooms, restaurants, boutiques -- they're all over! This year we couldn't get enough of diffusers! Sweet Grass Farm, Verikira, Thymes, and Moments Waterbead Diffusers by Upper Canada Soap take the cake as the best!

14. Neon Polish: The limited edition Essie Neon collection hit this summer and it was all the rage -- and come on, what screams fun in the sun like fluorescent nails!

15. Beauty with a side of Humor: Tongue-and-cheek packaging was all over the place this year. Who ruled over them all? Soap & Glory! The line comes courtesy of the same lady who founded Bliss and it's inspired by tabloid-style journalism!

More after The Jump!

Sure there has been some bad and there definitely has been some ugly, but overall when it comes to beauty trends, 2008 was a smashing success! Check-out the first half of our Snob Trends of 2008!

1. Women Secretly Swear by their Clarisonic: I am OBSESSED with the Clarisonic! It is THE beauty product of 2008. It will clear your skin, make your pores smaller, and leave your face as soft as a baby's bum! Hands down worth every single penny it will cost you.

2. Mascara Wars: It was the battle between Lancome Oscillation, Estee Lauder's Turbo Lash, Givenchy's Phenomen 'Eyes Mascara , and SpinLash's Rotating Wand. In my book, it's Givenchy all the way!

3. Michelle Obama: Head-to-toe, the world was obsessed with every piece of Mrs. Obama!

4. Gadget Madness: Ladies went gaga for technology this year with everything from Zeno's Pro Acne Clearing Device, which uses heat to kill pimples, to Clean & Clear's Blackhead Eraserwhich uses a vibrating motion and foaming pad to exfoliate dead surface skin and remove dirt and oil.

5. Crimson Lips: For when you feel like making a statement -- just don't forget to brush your hair or risk looking like a Courtney Cox-esque train wreck! Plus, loving this trend is the perfect excuse to indulge in Kanebo's Crimson Red shade, Ginza, which is made with 24kt-gold-infused silk!

More after The Jump!

I've had one of the worst weeks ever:( I caught the flu (get a flu shot if you haven't!!!), and missed not one, but three birthday parties! My friend Mikael was planning a get together at a new fondue place La Cave des Fondues, my friend Lauren had a party at this super-cute dessert place Sweetiepie, and my friend Jane had what looks to me from pictures to be one of the year's best parties! It was a "Naughty or Nice Party" held at a Soho loft with Patron sponsoring it and fab gift bags (please, can someone tell me how I could get sponsors to pay for my next party!!!??), but that's not all -- all the stars from MTV's The Hills spin-off The City were there..not too shabby! Anyway this all leads me to feel very compelled to take care of myself so I get through the rest of the winter season happy and healthy! To that end, I'd like to talk about how much I'm jumping for joy about FINALLY having discovered a face cream to stop all the flaking and pealing my skin has undergone from the weather (even my two humidifiers weren't doing the trick). The magic face cream is -- dum dum dum -- Clarins Advanced Extra Firming Night Cream for Very Dry Skin! More about it after the Jump!

"The idea behind Bobbi Brights is simple. It's a library of beautiful bolts of color that a woman can pick up anytime she wants to add a little fun to her look." Bobbi Brown If you read my earlier entry on Couture Snob, you'll know I'm going through a crayola phase of my life. Color is the fastest and least expensive way to update your look; pop a bit of fuchsia blush on and you'll look instantly refreshed.  I was afraid of bright colors for my face until reading Bobbi's new book, Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual: For Everyone from Beginner to Pro-- she offers many tips on making color work for you-- no matter your complexion or ethnicity.  In addition to testing out all the different looks on myself and my willing friends, I am diligently studying the book in case I get a chance to attend classes at the Bobbi Brown University (yup, it's in the works, more on that later).

The new Bobbi Brights collection has every shade under the sun; it is a range of 35 matte shadows in pinks and greens to blues and purples, and includes four new shades of Creamy Lip Color. Also new to Bobbi's line- six Lip Glosses in Bobbi's signature compact that can be popped into her customizable palettes!

Go check it out at Bobbi Brown.com and cosmetic counters worldwide.

I just got an offer emailed to me that I wanted to share with you before it's too late! Phyto Universe has a New Year's Eve Before and After Special. The luxe salon is located in New York City (715 Lexington Avenue at 58th St., 212.308.0270), and is the perfect spot to relax while prepping for the biggest party of the year - or unwinding after the party is over! Especially for any host of New Years parties -- like me! On December 31st, indulge in complimentary bubbly and strawberries while enjoying a hair treatment specifically designed for you. For example, The Thirst Quencher treatment, designed for dry hair, quenches thirsty hair with aromatic jojoba oil and essential oils of sage and rosemary. All treatments are finished with a blowout. January 2-4, you can enjoy complimentary vitamin shakes and juices while you enjoy a much needed post-fiesta facial or hair treatment:) They have countless other treatments on their menu, so pick what fits, indulge and relax!

Dame Edna is the muse for MAC's post-holiday collection this year and the flamboyant lady, played by Australian comedian Barry Humphries, was recently on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to discuss her upcoming collection with MAC. The line will be available in North America beginning December 26th and internationally January 2009. The packaging is quirky and will please any Dame Edna fans (you'll find her signature glasses all over the place). That said, like the MAC Hello Kitty collection I'm not a huge fan of these kinds of collaborations and rather my makeup look sleek and simple. I couldn't ever imagine myself pulling-out a lilac compact from my bag that was accented with outlandish glasses and glitter! For those that go for this collection though you'll find heavy-on-the-lilac lipstick/lipglass, eye shadow, highlight powder and nail lacquers. If Dame Edna isn't your style go for classic MAC with the MAC Chill collection where you'll find no frills packaging and lips of Naked Frost, eyes in Arctic Grey, and a deep black velvety new Penultimate Eye Liner. More details on this and on the MAC Dame Edna line after the Jump!

I was so excited to read in WWD that Kanebo is gearing-up to launch Sensai Colours, a new treatment makeup line consisting of 22 eye, lip and cheek items with formulas that draw on water and silk to address moisturization and impart a silk-like glow! Sensai Colours lip items consist of two ranges: Lasting Treatment Rouge and Deep Moist Shine Rouge. Lasting Treatment is offered in 18 shades and is formulated to provide long-staying, vivid color with pigments coated with kanten, a jellylike substance obtained from red seaweed and often used as a thickener in Japanese food. The Deep Moist Shine items aim to moisturize lips with a translucent film of color with Phyto Volumising Oil. It is available in 12 shades. There will also be a silky lip gloss in two shades, a lip base with SPF 15, three eye shadow palettes each with four shadow choices, five cheek blush, two eyebrow pencils, two liquid eyeliners, two eyeliner pencils, six lip liner pencils, and a fragrance-free gentle makeup remover. After the jump see photos of Scarlett Johansson in the upcoming film, The Spirit, where she's decked-out in Kanebo!