Beauty Snob - Beauty Secrets and Tips: Face Archives

Fighting Stress with Lavender

By Beauty Snob Sharon on October 30, 2008 6:00 AM | 2 Comments

I've been noticing that Lavender products are getting prominent displays these days and I can only attribute this to the anxiety surrounding the economy and the presidential elections since people often use Lavender as a sleep-aid and for relaxation purposes. So, in light of this, I thought I'd highlight some that I've been using in response to mild stress..mostly they're products that let you take a deep breath and enjoy a comfortable moment to yourself which is all we need sometimes!! Clarins' Santal ($46), is fab for those comfortable with using a face treatment oil -- I'm all for mixing luxury with drugstore, but when it comes to splashing oil on your face stick with a trustworthy brand like Clarins or risk unfortunate breakouts (and that will reeeally get you stressed!). Santal is formulated with lavender oil so it helps sooth and calm while moisturizing your face. More after the Jump!

Continue reading Fighting Stress with Lavender.

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Laura Mercier Illuminating Moisturizer

By Beauty Snob Tina on October 28, 2008 12:00 PM | 7 Comments

I'm about to give you the best tip you will ever receive in achieving youthful and glistening skin. The kind of skin that even a four year old notices-- my son pronounced me young today; he said I was not old and yucky because my skin is so pretty (oh yes, he got a very big cookie after dinner!). Laura Mercier's Illuminating Moisturizer is best mixed with her tinted moisturizer or your own foundation of choice. I apply it with a foundation brush and lightly pat it in and it gives my skin the most unbelievable glow! This is not to say that you should throw out your skin creams, this is just the icing on the cake. A quick fix, if you will. If your skin is sallow from lack of sleep or stress, pat this all over and you'll gain 10 years. Instantly. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 - Illuminating Natural Radiance $42 in three shades at Sephora.com

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Face

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Laura Mercier

Sisley Botanical Night Complex - Skin Saver

By Beauty Snob Tina on October 27, 2008 12:00 PM | 3 Comments

A few times a year, when mother nature wreaks havoc on my skin via seasonal changes, I order a bottle of Sisley Botanical Night Complex. The instructions say to use it for 10 consecutive nights each month but I like using it nightly for a month at the beginning of a new season. It hydrates and gets my skin normalized to the change in weather conditions. The smell takes getting used to though, it smells like old socks but the radiant skin is totally worth it!

$255 at Sisley counters (it's sold out on Neiman Marcus.com) and I also found it here for 10% off.

What about you? Do you change up your routine when the weather changes?

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Face-Off: Super-Premium vs. Target

By Beauty Snob Sharon on October 27, 2008 6:00 AM | 4 Comments

VS

A $120 Dior product (left) and a $29 Target NP Set product (right).

A recent article in the Los Angeles Times notes that sales of super-premium beauty products priced at over $150 have increased 21% since 2007! The article says that women who might not be able to afford a decadent bauble from Cartier, for example, opt to pamper themselves with a lush face-cream instead. While this makes complete sense to me, I'm nonetheless surprised at the staggering number especially considering the rise in drugstore finds (eco-friendly line Yes To Carrots and Olay who is aiming to bring prestige beauty to the masses in January with their anti-aging line Olay Professional Pro-X, for example), not to mention the likes of Target teaming-up with prestige beauty lines. I've actually recently tested-out some Target beauty products. They have a new line called NP Set which was developed by celeb makeup artist Napoleon Perdis (his clientele includes Debra Messing, Evangeline Lilly, Winona Ryder, Amanda Bynes, Jamie Lynn Sigler...). I have to say that given the price, the quality isn't bad. Yes, the lip gloss is a little sticky (but then again so are countless prestige glosses), and the white, plastic packaging isn't all that dazzling, but for decent quality at a price that won't break the bank you can't complain (nothing is over $30). That said, there's something about picking-up a Chanel compact or a Givenchy pot of cream that is truly not comparable to anything you can find at a Target or drugstore. Which is why, if you can afford to splurge, no matter how great drugstore buys get, I think it's totally worth it. I just always remind myself not to get caught-up in price or brand, but qualitity because there are just as many prestige flops as there are drugstore ones!

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Chanel

LORAC Perfectly Lit Oil-Free Luminizing Powder

By Beauty Snob Sharon on October 20, 2008 12:09 PM | Leave Comment

I only thought it fair to put-up a little photo of my best friend Christine. I speak of her often, she just moved to Paris to pursue her studies in Perfumery and we tackled Paris Fashion Week together. She's pictured on the left in a photo I snapped after I coerced her to let me take her photo at the Marlies Dekkers after-party held in Paris at Le Baron. The reason I bring her up now is because being into perfumery and having worked at IFF she knows a thing or two about cosmetics, skincare, and fragrances so I always hit her up for her latest finds. Nearly everyday I was in Paris she wore LORAC'S Perfectly Lit Oil-Free Luminizing Powder ($32), it's an oil-free powder that's great for those days you don't have time to put on a whole lot of makeup. That said, it can just as easily be used as a stand-alone product for a quick and easy way to freshen-up your face or it can be used as a base to give your skin a glow (the shine it gave my skin is really what set it apart, for me, from other powders), while covering-up imperfections. It comes in 3 shades and thought the packaging isn't the chicest, it's relatively compact and comes with a mirror.

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Coming up short on Halloween Costume Ideas? ...MAC has you covered!

By Anne on October 16, 2008 8:00 AM | 2 Comments

While having lunch with my mother this weekend, I started telling her about what I wanted to be for Halloween. My own mother then delivered a crushing blow- she told me that I (at the tender age of 22) am too old to dress up for Halloween!! -gasp!- Is it true?! Well, since mothers are always right I decided to heed her advice and modify my costume ideas to something a bit more grown up. MAC has has an inspired Halloween Collection that has me excited for face painting for the first time since I was 8!! I am thinking either Robot Chic or Mother Nature, any thoughts? When was the last time YOU dressed up for Halloween?

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Face

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MAC

Senna Cosmetics "The Glamour Envelope"

By Beauty Snob Kelly on October 15, 2008 6:00 AM | 25 Comments

I just got this all inclusive palette and can now retire my entire drawer full of make up. Ok, maybe not the entire drawer but at least my life has been simplified quite a bit. My normal routine is to search for all the little compacts and round Mac shadows that I want to use, spread it all over my counter which make a giant mess. The convenience of a huge palette is obvious but that is not the best part of this. It is the quality of the shadows! Senna is the Hollywood insiders secret to saturated pigment and long wear. The colors go on true because there is such a high concentration of the actual pigment, not fluff or plain talc here. See that teal? That is exactly what it looks like on, you can make it totally solid and dramatic. At the end of the day, you look as fresh as when you first applied. That is why Hollywood make up artists use this line. Ugly Betty and Heroes use them exclusively. I love to play with all the different looks that can be achieved, it actually comes with a guide for 6 looks including "Nude" a natural look great for daytime; "Innocence," a fresh and vibrant look; and "Night Queen," sultry and dramatic - perfect for a night out. It also comes with their totally amazing Sun & Sand Bronzing Duo, it not only is the most natural bronzer I've used, the darker shade is perfect for contouring with completely seamless and natural results. The Shimmering Face Powder is the greatest secret tool as a highlighter. I use it right under my eyes to create depth and brightness as well as contrast against my cheekbones. It makes the biggest difference with such a subtle look. This magnetic closure envelope is $99 at Senna Cosmetics.

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Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2008: Decleor Tonifying Lotion

By Beauty Snob Sharon on October 2, 2008 6:00 AM | Leave Comment

Who didn't grow-up loving Olivia Newton John as Sandy in Grease? The courageous and strong-willed singer/actress was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 and underwent a mastectomy and breast reconstruction. Since she has recovered and become a tireless breast cancer research advocate.

What can you do to support the cause? We'll be bring you fab beauty items with proceeds going to breast cancer charities, so stock-up! Couldn't think of a better time:) -- Decleor Tonifying Lotion, $33 is a toner infused with lavender and petit grain essential oils, and orange, kiwi, and mallow essential waters, and is suitable for all skin types as a way to finish your cleansing routine. In October, when you purchase the toner you'll also get a sample sized Aromessence Neroli -- Neroli is an elixir of 100% pure and natural essential oils specially formulated to comfort and treat skin that is exposed to daily stress. Decleor is donating 15% of net sales of their Tonifying Lotion to Cancer and Careers, a program of CEW Foundation. Available at Sephora.

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Rid me of the Dog Days of Summer!!!

By Beauty Snob Tina on September 26, 2008 12:04 PM | 1 Comment

At the end of each summer, I am left with the marks of the hottest days of summer, tiny little freckles across my face! It's a bizarre phenomenon, those freckles of mine. They appear to be heat activated (because we all know I wear giant hats, SPF 45 AND sit under umbrellas when at pools or beaches). I rarely allow sun rays to touch my face, so the fact that my face becomes pigmented at the end of the summer proves that they are indeed heat activated! So, each year, I come up with a new solution to rid myself of these tiny freckles that my hubby deems "cute". What does he know? He thought my fabulous Rick Owens dress was a toga! But that's another story altogether. Back to me and my freckles-- I've been using Phyto+ from Skinceuticals (after being told the Hydroquinoe I used from Dr. Obagi was too harsh and might possibly cause cancer-- UH WHAT?). Anyway, ever since that bombshell, I've been using only botanical and natural solutions to the Asian girl's biggest skin woe.

Two weeks ago, I started on a new product, L'Occitane's Very Precious Brightening concentrate. I use it at night, before my 12 step routine and though my spots are still there, they are visibly lighter. The concentrate is made of 100% organic plant dry oils that disappear into the skin quickly and leaves no oily residue. Each bottle contains the equivalent of 3,000 flowers combined with a vitamin C derivative. Only time will tell the true effect of the oil but for now, I am enjoying the nightly facial massage I give myself with it. At L'Occitane stores was $82 but on sale now for $58!!!

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The Luxurious World of Chanel Beauté

By Beauty Snob Tina on September 24, 2008 12:09 PM | 4 Comments

When Chanel comes calling, one must respond, and quickly. Over Fashion Week, I was invited to a Chanel Beauty event and though I had fashion shows, showroom visits, and interviews that day with designers such as Oscar de la Renta-- I said yes. One just does not say no to Chanel! At least not one who has been obsessed with Chanel since college and who used to keep Chanel boxes in one's college apartment stacked wall to wall and floor to ceiling only so one can admire the prettiness of the black and white boxes daily.

I've extolled on the virtues of the Sublimage eye cream often (remember the time I drove to Barneys in a thunderstorm and almost crashed my car on the freeway in an effort to apply my ~~drug~~ I mean eye cream on the way home?) but have never experienced the entire line so I knew I was in for a treat. I did not expect the eye candy that greeted me, however, from the Sublimage line to its new Winter make up collection (which you will read about next week)-- Chanel knows how to throw a girly girl party! We got our nails done, our necks massaged, and did I mention the delicious array of hors d'heurves and finger sandwiches? I could have taken a nap after all that pampering-- all that was missing was my pajamas!

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