Recently in Masks Category

Today is my wedding anniversary-- 8 magical years and a beautiful son later, we're still blissfully happy (okay so we fight like all couples do but it never lasts more than 5 minutes and I always win-- I think my hubby has finally figured out the key to happily ever after ;). We are going out to a romantic dinner tonight and I have my schedule carefully planned out-- have our 4 year old son fed and bathed before the baby sitter arrives plus be dressed and ready myself.  I've developed a quick but efficient beauty routine with the aid of the amazing brightening system from Orlane called Absolute Radiance pack, it has everything I'll need to have my complexion glowing as brightly as the first day we met-- all in 7 minutes!  It felt like a science project at first but once I got the hang of it, it's been really easy to give myself this mini facial while I dry my hair!  Here are the 3 easy steps:

1. Apply eye gel under eyes, cover with eye patch
2. Mix powder into cream pack and let foam for 30 seconds, apply Glowing Skin Masque and let sit for 5 minutes (while eye patch is still on, you apply the mask around it).
3. Rinse and apply Evanescent Cream et voila, the skin of a 25 year old. 

I swear it is pure perfection!  Make up goes on smoother and your complexion will seriously glow!  $200 at Neiman Marcus.

What about you, do you have any quick tips and tricks to perfect skin before date night?

To celebrate and promote the idea behind Earth Day this month, we are doing major giveaways on eco-friendly beauty products, which are not only good for Mother Earth but for your face too!

REN uses nothing but the latest hi-tech bio actives in their skincare products, which are free from skin-unfriendly synthetic ingredients. REN skincare products are a complete pleasure to use and leave skin feeling absolutely radiant and clean by boosting the skin's natural ability to protect, repair, and renew itself.

We are giving away an REN package including: the Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash made with one of the most expensive and revered essential oils in the world, the Glycolactic Skin Renewal Peel Mask designed to renew complexion, reduce fine lines and improve skin tone, firmness, and radiance, the Wild Yam Body Repair Cream that nourishes, regenerates, and hydrates your skin, and lastly the Osmotic Infusion Ultra-Moisture Day Cream which infuses dry skin with long lasting hydration leaving skin smooth, plump, and beautifully healthy. This REN package is worth over $130.00! Thank you Space NK for sponsoring this giveaway!!!

To win, do something nice for the earth today and answer: Who is this eco-friendly celeb who joined Al Gore to announce the Save Ourselves: The Campaign for a Climate in Crisis initiative in 2007? Put your answer and what you did for the earth in comments by Friday April 24th at 11:59pm EST. One entry per person please. We will choose one winner among all correct answers using a random computer drawing.

We will be doing Earth Day Giveaways everyday starting today until Earth Day on April 22nd.

To celebrate and promote the idea behind Earth Day this month, we are doing major giveaways on eco-friendly beauty products, which are not only good for Mother Earth but for your face too!

REN uses nothing but the latest hi-tech bio actives in their skincare products, which are free from skin-unfriendly synthetic ingredients. REN skincare products boost the skin's natural ability to protect, repair, and renew itself.

We are giving away an REN package including: the Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash made with one of the most expensive and revered essential oils in the world, the Glycolactic Skin Renewal Peel Mask designed to renew complexion, reduce fine lines and improve skin tone, firmness, and radiance, the Wild Yam Body Repair Cream that nourishes, regenerates, and hydrates your skin, and lastly the Osmotic Infusion Ultra-Moisture Day Cream which infuses dry skin with long lasting hydration leaving skin smooth, plump, and beautifully healthy. This REN package is worth over $130.00! Thank you Space NK for sponsoring this giveaway!!!

To win, do something nice for the earth today and answer: Who is this eco-friendly celebrity who founded the UN's Water for Life organization that devotes itself to provide people worldwide access to clean drinking water? Put your answer and what you did for the earth in comments by Tuesday April 21st at 11:59pm EST. One entry per person please. We will choose one winner among all correct answers using a random computer drawing.

We will be doing Earth Day Giveaways everyday starting today until Earth Day on April 22nd.

To celebrate and promote the idea behind Earth Day this month, we are doing major giveaways on eco-friendly beauty products, which are not only good for Mother Earth but for your face too!

REN uses the latest hi-tech bio actives in their skincare products, which are free from skin-unfriendly synthetic ingredients. REN skincare products boost the skin's natural ability to protect, repair, and renew itself.

We are giving away an REN package including: the Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash made with one of the most expensive and revered essential oils in the world, the Glycolactic Skin Renewal Peel Mask designed to renew complexion, reduce fine lines and improve skin tone, firmness, and radiance, the Wild Yam Body Repair Cream that nourishes, regenerates, and hydrates your skin, and lastly the Osmotic Infusion Ultra-Moisture Day Cream which infuses dry skin with long lasting hydration leaving skin smooth, plump, and beautifully healthy. This REN package is worth over $130.00! Thank you Space NK for sponsoring this giveaway!!!

To win, do something nice for the earth today and answer: Who is this vegan shoe designer/Shoe4Africa sponsor who made a documentary about preserving habitats of African mountain gorillas? Put your answer and what you did for the earth in comments by Sunday April 19th at 11:59pm EST. One entry per person please. We will choose one winner among all correct answers using a random computer drawing.

We will be doing Earth Day Giveaways everyday starting today until Earth Day on April 22nd.

I have enjoyed researching organic skin care for Earth Day, and learning more than I care to know about the harmful effects of the chemicals I've been using :(

Amala skincare came across my path recently and I am very impressed with its line of certified organic products. Formulated with only whole plant ingredients, sourced from fair trade farm partners across the world. There's absolutely zero artifice in this brand and packaging is designed with recycled materials and soy-based inks. Five percent of their net profits are also donated to farm partners.

There are four collections:
- Hydrate (with jasmine) - for dry skin
- Purify (with blue lotus) - for oily/acnegenic skin
- Rejuvenate (with cocoa bean) - for mature skin
- Detoxify (with myrtle) -

But I don't really follow rules and I mix and match different products from each collection.  Here is the

Beauty Snob Amala Routine: Scrub, Yogurt Mask, Collagen Mask- Instant firm and glowing skin.
 
Amala is available at Barney's New York here.

I love the hydrating Yogurt mask, it gives my skin moisture without making it feel heavy or greasy.  $58 at Barneys.

To celebrate and promote the idea behind Earth Day this month, we are doing major giveaways on beauty products that are eco-friendly, which is good for Mother Earth and really good for your face!

Elemental Herbology uses all natural and organic ingredients but is effective. And everything smells so good!! We are giving away the Biodynamic Facial Souffle worth $102. It is a intense hydrating mask for overexposed skin, perfect for the summer. Also the Cool and Clear Facial Cleanser, worth $61, a gentle cleanser that is free of soap and fragrance, but amazing for washing away dirt and congestion to prevent acne, again perfect for the summer with all that sunscreen on your face. The total giveaway prize is $163! Thank you Elemental Herbology for sponsoring!!

To win, do something nice for the earth today and identify this eco-friendly hunk who is helping to rebuild Katrina-ravaged homes in New Orleans. Put your answer and what you did for the earth in comments by Wed April 15th at 11:59pm EST. One entry per person please. We will choose one winner among all correct answers using a random computer drawing.

We will be doing Earth Day Giveaways everyday starting today until Earth Day on April 22nd.

BE NICE TO THE EARTH =)

To celebrate and promote the idea behind Earth Day this month, we are doing major giveaways on beauty products that are eco-friendly, which is good for Mother Earth and really good for your face!
Elemental Herbology uses all natural and organic ingredients but is effective. And everything smells so good!! We are giving away the Biodynamic Facial Souffle worth $102. It is a intense hydrating mask for overexposed skin, perfect for the summer. Also the Cool and Clear Facial Cleanser, worth $61, a gentle cleanser that is free of soap and fragrance, but amazing for washing away dirt and congestion to prevent acne, again perfect for the summer with all that sunscreen on your face. The total giveaway prize is $163! Thank you Elemental Herbology for sponsoring!! To win, do something nice for the earth today and answer: Who is this lovely environmentally conscious star often seen riding her bike? Put your answer and what you did for the earth in comments by Sunday April 12th at 11:59pm EST. One entry per person please. We will choose one winner among all correct answers using a random computer drawing. We will be doing Earth Day Giveaways everyday starting today until Earth Day on April 22nd.

I have been traveling non stop and not only have I not had time for my regular facials, my skin is in serious need of reviving. I finally got time to pamper myself at home with this Glycolactic Peel from REN. The people behind REN reminds me of Ben & Jerry, they love what they do and they want to make the world greener by doing things better. It is a totally green line using only renewable ingredients that are 100% natural and organic. This Glycolactic Peel has fruit enzyme and acids that is very gentle but totally powerful for a major pore cleanse and dead skin cell removal. I hate that part of the facial when they squeeze your face to death, I stopped doing facials like that and it is totally unnecessary when you use fruit acids and enzymes to remove that stuff. This will clean your pores completely, including any blackhead you may have. The morning after the peel, my skin looks peachy and flush. For the best results, I use a scrub the day after the peel to help with the skin renewal by removing any access dead skin that is on the surface. You will be amazed by the fresh skin that is yours!! The only caveat is, this peel does make you itchy and tingly while it's on and it needs to stay on for a full 10 minutes to have its full effect, but trust me, it is worth 10 minutes of a very slight discomfort. I walk around the house with it on and check emails or whatever to distract me. It is a peach color so you won't scare anyone with it on! REN Glycolactic Skin Renewal Peel Mask at Sephora for $55.

I know, this sounds like what you had with last night's dinner but this mask is so natural you could probably eat it! I love the Naturopathica line, it is holistic and effective. If you don't have time or on a budget, using the right products could replace your monthly facials. I have been running around, traveling like crazy so my facial schedule is totally off. I have all these events to go to so I have to make sure I look good. This mask works miracles. It is anti aging and renews your skin cells with raw wasabi and green tea extracts. It will make your skin soft and smooth so I have been using it the day before a big event to make sure my makeup goes on evenly. So the big question is, does that wasabi sting? Yes, it does a little, I love the feeling of products working on my skin so I don't mind but this isn't as strong as come acid or enzyme masks I've used. It also is not green, it kind of looks like chocolate chip coffee ice cream, the raw wasabi are little dark specks. I am starting to try more from this line that I have come to love!! At Naturopathica for $56.

I feel like I'm always reading about celebrities loving one Decleor product or another. Oprah is a fan (as is Beauty Snob Kelly!), of Decleor's Vitaroma Body ($80) and just recently Christina Aguilera told In Style that she loves Decleor's Ylang Ylang Night Balm ($69). No matter what I may think about Christina's style, makeup and hair decisions, there's no denying her beautiful complexion (even if it's freakishly pale!). While I haven't tried the Ylang Ylang Night Balm, after reading about it I recently tried their Radiance Revealing Peel-off Mask ($42). I'm not a fan of mud masks, so this one appealed to me because it's very thin. Actually it's so thin I had trouble getting it off because you almost can't see where on your face it is! The mask sort of comes off in pieces (versus one clean swoop), and my skin felt a little tingly afterward, but it dries fast and you only have to leave it on for 7-8 minutes. Though it's not perfect, the mask is a quick and easy way to nourish your skin in addition to any morning and nighttime routines. Also if you have trouble getting the mask off you can use their Tonifying Lotion. Full ingredient details after the jump!

Now you can get some of my favorite products at 20% off! Somme Institute Transport Padsare a must have to stave off unsightly blackheads. I'm not as greasy in the winter but I'm still going to buy a box now to use in the T-zone. And of course I'm going to stock up on ARCONA Kiwi Clarifying Peel-- it is like waking up to shiny fresh baby skin every time I use it!