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What do Madonna, Molly Sims, Eva Longoria, Justin Timberlake and Beauty Snob have in common? No no no, we don't all love dancing on tables (though I can not speak for Madonna)-- we are all obsessed with Intraceutical facials! 

I am not one to pass up a new experience so I booked the Intraceutical facial at The Ritz Carlton spa in Dallas last week. I love the Ritz, my friends, hubby and I often dine at Fearings and we love sitting outside in the summer time. It's the only place in Dallas that makes me feel as if I were back in LA.  I was given the royal treatment upon arrival (all guests at the Ritz Spa there are pampered to the max)-- after changing, I took a few minutes in the quiet room-- I am obsessed with that room! There are twin sized beds in there with sheer fabric between each one so you can still chat with a friend or just take a quick nap. I didn't have time to nap as the Intraceuticals skin technician (Katherine Park-- who has amazing velvety skin) came to fetch me at 11am sharp.  I was a bit skeptical of the hype at first, I mean how good can an oxygen facial be?  How about looking like you sleep for 12 hours a night even after a long Easter weekend of sugar and champagne?!?!?  The crazy thing is, my skin continued to glow long after the treatment!  (jump for more!)

In all my years of being obsessed with beauty products nothing comes even close to how much I LOVE Pangea. Seriously I can't think of a person who has come to my apartment that I haven't gone on and on about this line to! It's completely genius. The packaging is planteable! Soak the packaging of almost all of their products in water for one minute, plant it about 1" deep in soil, and voila! In just a few weeks you'll have flowering Amaranth (Bar Soaps), Genovese Sweet Basil (Facial Cream), even a spruce tree (Pangea Organics Pangea Gift Box -- buy and plant it now and maybe you'll have your very own Christmas tree by next winter!). They've got a ton of products to choose from. I personally love their Pangea Organics Lip Balm, Fennel with Grapefruit & Sweet Orange. I'm usually not a fan of fennel and previously have sworn by L'Occitane's Shea Butter one, but what can I say -- this one's better! Their Shower Gels are also nice and made entirely without synthetic preservatives, sulfates or detergents (so it's not a suddy mess!). Plus they're thick (ie concentrated to last longer and not watered down with water). I've also tried their bar soaps which smell and feel great only complaint is that they're not super long-lasting, but I love that the ingredients are chosen to have specific effects on the body and mind (ie Lavender with Damiana Tea clarifies the mind and soothes the body -- Lavender is antiseptic/relieves tension, while Damiana Tea is anti-inflammatory/aphrodisiac). The scents really do make them relaxing. They've also got great Hand & Body Lotions and about a million different face products as well as a nice selection of oils.

There's sort of a catch-22 when it comes to eco-friendly products, because we all want to use earth-friendly products, but not all of us can afford the prices that most of them go for. Luckily not all organic/natural lines come with three figure price tags. We've rounded-up three wonderful frugal finds all of which are earth-friendly! First-up - Organix. Organix's packaging sort of reminds me of Philosophy's, no?? It's so much better though, because not only is it cheaper (each of their shampoos and conditioners are only $6.99), but the line is formulated with organic active ingredients, and is sulfate and paraben-free. They've got four new scents -- Moisturizing Grapefruit Mango Butter, Energizing Passionfruit Guava, Enriching Cucumber Yogurt, and Fortifying Lavender Soymilk -- love the Lavender Soymilk and their Vanilla Silk! Moving from hair to skin, we've got Weleda. They've got a fab facial kit formulated with Biodynamic and organic ingredients called the Wild Rose Facial Care Kit. It comes nicely packaged and is priced at only $14.99 (which is great considering that it has an anti-aging formulation). This line is rich in essential fatty acids to help reduce the visible effects of premature aging and contains -- Wild Rose Cleansing Lotion (.35 fl oz), Wild Rose Facial Toner (.35 fl oz), Wild Rose Moisture Cream (.35 oz), and Wild Rose Night Cream (.33 oz). More after the jump!

MAC is always on the cutting edge of cosmetics and great fun to play with but sometimes the colors are just a bit too outrageous to wear unless you dance on poles or work at the circus. The latest collection, however, is beautiful and very wearable. Powders, shadows, lipsticks and glosses come in the prettiest of pinks-- softly subtle to bright and bold-- pick your poison. This is a limited edition on sale from April 9th til it sells out so get yours now! (Jump for more) Check MAC website here.

I had a very fun Friday last week; it started with Heroes and Handbags Luncheon and a couple of mimosas (I'm on the committee and we raised almost $300,000 just at the lunch! It benefits Heroes for Children-- an organization that provides financial assistance to families of children with cancer, no request has ever been denied!). It continued with a group of my girlfriends in the lounge of the hotel it was held at and more champagne (I didn't drive and we had to celebrate a successful event!) and finally ended at Neiman Marcus. Tipsy shopping is the best! We went over to the beauty counters to play with make up and I noticed that after a long day of 'fun' my face needed freshening up, badly. Of course I headed over to the Bobbi Brown counter and asked to be touched up for dinner. The SA showed me the new shimmer blushes and I decided to be bold and try the Plum Wine (truth be known a glass of plum wine sounded really good to me after the champagne!). She dusted my cheeks with it and I looked instantly refreshed! It is the most beautiful shade of pinky plum. It looked almost purple-ish in the palette but on my face it looked like I'd been on a healthy walk and not indulging in bubbly :) A little goes a long way with this shade and it's got the subtle shimmer to it that makes you glow like you're a college co-ed. Plum Wine cheek shimmer is $22 at Bobbibrown.com

Everyone wants flawless skin, right? But sometimes putting on too much make up in an attempt to achieve flawlessness leaves you looking cakey and overdone. I always use foundation to make my skin even and looking like porcelain (or so I believe) but it is hard to strike that perfect balance between getting enough coverage and looking perfectly natural. I have a closet full of foundation that I've tried, some are great, some have failed but nothing compares to the new Freeze 24/7 Mineral makeup system! A very light coverage completely transforms my skin to looking like porcelain - I no longer need to deceive myself, I actually have perfect milky skin. And even better is the bronzer that gives the most natural hint of sun. It has just a touch of highlighting shine to pick up the light but it is not at all sparkly, and it doesn't actually make you darker and tanned, it just gives you healthy color. There is also a blush to add rosiness to the cheeks. The system comes with 2 makeup shades to blend for a customized tone, a bronzer and the blush. The lighter of the makeup shades can be used to highlight under the eyes, brows, nose and chin. I am so in love with this and wake up in anticipation of putting on make up! The mineral has anti-aging qualities and it has SFP 18 so you are literally covered on all fronts! It comes with brushes so it is convenient and easy on top of achieving the natural beauty that you were meant to have! Freeze 24/7 Mineral Make Up, $85, comes in fair, medium and tan.

I got a text message from Bobbi Brown over the weekend from Morocco, where she is on a biking trip. She told me she'd been in Paris the week before to see editors and check out her new boutique there. My first question was "What bag are you carrying on this fabulous adventure?" To which she responded, "I will be biking with my Patagonia green packpack. Had my square black prada handbag in Paris. You know I'm a classic Prada girl, with an odd birkin or two or three or... "  I was going to ask her what beauty products she had with her but I am betting she is traveling with her new Customize.Simplify.Organize system!

"The Customize.Simplify.Organize system is designed for women to customize their makeup and be their own makeup artists. It's an easy way to take less, but have more."  Bobbi told us.

Beginning in April, Bobbi introduces this new collection which is designed to work with her customizable palette system. For the first time ever, take your personalized foundation, blush, eye shadow and lip products with you wherever you go in a convenient compact! (Jump for new colors!)

Find it at Bobbibrown.com

Clé de Peau has been on my radar since I first tried the iconic "La Creme" years ago. I had never tried its color collection, however, until the Beauty Event last week at Neiman Marcus North Park.  I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Clé de Peau National Make Up consultant Kyriaki Savrani that day and she helped me pick out make up colors (is there anything more fun than playing with make up all day?). A native of Greece, make up artist Kyriaki Savrani's resume extends across all corridors of the beauty industry. The sophisticated beauty got her start in 1992 while attending art school in Paris and assisting Stephen Marais. Since then Kyriaki has built an extensive list celebrity clientele (Nicole Kidman, Naomi Campbell, Anne Hathaway, Audrey Tautou and many others) and work with designers such as Chanel, Valentino, Dior and Karl Lagerfeld.  Yet no matter how "haute" the couture, Kyriaki brings her own unique perspective to her craft. 

During our interview, I learned a lot about the brand and its devoted followers.  Kate Moss apparently swipes a tube of the uber popular Extra Silky lipstick-$50 everytime they do her make up.  I wonder if I can get away with same at the counter?  I'm all about new shade 118 (Lily of the Nile)-- it's a soft pinkish beige that looks really natural!  Plus the formula has a shine to it so you don't need lip gloss.  Kyriaki declared that the era of heavy gooey gloss that bubble when you talk is over!  A hint of shine is much more sexy though she is all about the matte lipstick (in red no less!)


Another exciting newly formulated product is the Cream Foundation. ($118).  It now comes with a twist applicator that gives you the exact dosage you need (in the shape of the Cle de peau logo) so you won't waste a drop of this amazingly velvety foundation.  Kyriaki put O10 on me (at lunch she predicted I'd be O10 by looking at my chest.  Apparently the chest is the perfect spot to match foundation!) and it was the perfect shade for me.  (Just a warning, you'll read the word "perfect" a lot in this post.)  I was with a friend before going to Neiman Marcus and told her I was interviewing Kyriaki and she squealed, "I love the Cream Foundation, it's all I wear!  Tell them it's my favorite brand!"  

I am all about faking luminous skin, especially now that I am no longer 25!  I have used everything from YSL Touche Eclat to the discontinued Revlon Skinlights but am always on the prowl for the next best thing. Apparently the latest and greatest is Clé de Peau's Brilliant Enhancer which I got to try last week during the Beauty Event at Neiman Marcus.  The pen and brush is similar to that of the YSL Touche Eclat but that's where the similarities end.  Unlike the Touche Eclat, the Brilliant Enhancer is not meant to be used as a cover up so it's not as thick and gooey.  The texture is lightweight like a lotion and it delivers as promised, a quick swipe across my cheek bone and I was dewy like a college co-ed.  I also had the opportunity to interview Kyriaki Savrani, Clé de Peau Beauté Make Up Consultant, who was in town for the event and will have that feature up tomorrow.  In the meantime, I am curious what you guys think of Clé de Peau products and whether or not you've tried the Brilliant Enhancer because I am starting to obsess over this line of luxurious products!  $62 At Neiman Marcus.com

I'll admit it, I'm biased towards Bobbi Brown products-- I've been a devoted fan since my first beige lipstick in college but this entry is not about which brand I prefer-- it's a debate about which came first and which is better. Laura Mercier has a strong following and reputation of her own so I'm sure she'll have plenty of defenders here for her Shimmer Bloc. But seriously, isn't it a bit too conveniently similar in name and function to Bobbi's Shimmer Brick? Okay, so brick and bloc aren't exactly identical but it has the same meaning. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of Laura Mercier in my make up drawer but I'm just curious to why she didn't name hers something less similar than Bobbi's. I've tried both and find Mercier's Bloc a bit too frosty. I prefer the Bricks because there are varying degrees of color and you can control the shades better.  At the risk of sounding like a snob, I also find the Shimmer Brick to be more chic looking, too.  What about you? Which do you prefer and why?

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick here.

Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc here.