What's In My Beauty Bag

What's In My Beauty Bag
Less shimmery than its well known sister "O", Deep Throat gives the perfect natural peach flush for summer!
BonBon Rose Girls

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Want moi to review a product? Email browwhisperer@gmail.com for further info! My reviews are filled with warmth, wit and intelligence- & are always honest!

About Me

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This make-up artist and esthetician has a (bordering on unhealthy) addiction to all things beauty! No amount of eyeshadows or cream liners will ever be enough! I go giddy for all things girly. Lipgloss might not be able to heal the world, but it can lift a gal's spirits!

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Monday, February 28, 2011

Oscars Beauties

My pick for over all best dressed from last night's Oscars? Mila Kunis in Elie Saab. That dress made her look like a Goddess. Make-up artist Tracey Levy used Lancome products to create an ethereal with an edge look. Mila's pucker received a coat of Lancome Color Fever Gloss in Blazing Pink topped with La Lacque Fever Lipshine in Lucent Pink. Head over to Bella Sugar for a break down of the entire look!

What an improvement over the Golden Globes where poor Michelle looked like she was wearing a *ahem* tablecloth! In Chanel Haute Couture, she looks like an actress deserving of academy award nomination. Her platinum pixie haircut was complimented by incredibly soft and luminous make-up. Make-up Artist Jeanine Lobell used all Chanel products, completing the look with Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Colour in Rose Dentell. Michelle also held my favorite part of the night, along with Bestie Busy Phillips who was her date. A glimpse during the preshow showed them arriving holding hands, there's nothing I love more than a great friendship!
Natalie was a winner in many ways last night. Previous pregnancy gowns that she's worn have been rather blah if you ask me. They didn't conceal or flaunt her bump, rather she just looked pregnant. This violet Rodarte gown flowed over her curves beautifully. Her glow was due in part to her pregnancy & the rest Dior Beaute. On her pucker? Dior's Addict Lipstick in Infamous Pink, topped off Addict Ultra-Gloss in Apricot Cloche.

Jennifer Lawrence was captivating & definitely understands that less is more! Such the sexy screen siren in her Calvin Klein gown. Soft, touchable hair by stylist Mark Townsend & minimal accessories sealed the deal. So beauties, who were you picks for best & worst dressed? Thoughts on Cate Blanchett's gown? How did you feel the hosts did? I have to say I had expected more from Anne Hathaway, while James Franco did exactly what I thought he would!
Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Oscars Countdown

Happy Oscars day beauties! How I love this day, more so for the fashion & beauty excitement than the actual awards ceremony. However, I can't wait to see hosts Anne Hathaway & James Franco. Hopefully they'll breathe some new life into the awards show & no doubt there will be a musical number!
For those of you hosting Oscar viewing parties, how adorable are these Eleni's sugar cookies? They come in best actor, best actress & best picture categories.

My favorite is the best picture nominees collection, these will surely be a conversation starter!
Stay tuned for my best & worst dressed pics tomorrow!
Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Tom Ford

When on vacation, don't you girls spend just a little bit more than you would at home? I guess I take on a c'est la vie attitude & scoop up some treats that I would talk myself out of back in the real world. While on vacation over the holiday weekend I picked up Tom Ford's Private Blend Lipstick. Since I'm a lipgloss gal, it made no sense for me to pick up a rather steep $45 lipstick- but as I mentioned I was enjoying my vacation 'high.' The colors I picked are creamy mattes. Don't think super parched pucker, since your lips won't be dry- but they most certainly won't be shiny(though in the ad campaign they look like vinyl.) I, of course needing shine on my lips like a plant needs water, will be topping with gloss!

I picked up Blush Nude for myself & Cherry Lush as a treat for my mom. My shade is a great building block for a nude lip & Cherry Lush is a true old Hollywood blue red. On my skin tone Blush Nude has a concealer like effect on my natural lip color. It would leave me a bit washed out on it's own, but when topped with Becca's Rosita lipgloss- it's perfection.
I picked it up at Neiman Marcus & lucky me they were starting their beauty event! This of course meant I needed to have 'said' gift, since I am a free gift wh**e. I scooped up some new Cleu de Peau launches that they're mailing to me. With any $100 purchase you'll receive a rather 'blah' bag, but it's filled with deluxe samples! The event is until Match 8th, so it's the perfect time to stock up on your tried & true faves. I'll show you my other goodies when they arrive!

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Friday, February 18, 2011

Files from the Brow Whisperer

It happens to the best of us - life flies by & all of a sudden one's brows are *ahem* a tad bit out of control! My client is a busy nurse & mom who's running around all the time , but quickly realized she needed to run straight to La Papillon! We have a basic shape established, but regrowth distracts from that.

Cleaning above the brow tidied up her shape & trimming the brow hairs awakened her entire eye area! It looks lifted & more open- pulling together a much more groomed look in under 10 minutes. For time crunched women, it's actually time well spent to be able to put your best face forward!
Peace. Love. Brow Whisperer. M

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Parched!



I can't believe I'm about to say this girleens, but lately my skin has been parched! Never in my life, have I felt the need for some extra hydration for my oily skin except for this winter! Our Diva of Dermatology to the rescue with some great advice! Here are Dr. Noelle Sherber's tips & tricks for keeping your skin healthy in the winter.

Only snowmen look their best in the freezing cold – for the rest of us, winter can wreak havoc on our skin! (At least the groundhog didn’t see his shadow this year, spring can’t come soon enough…)


How do we keep our skin from getting the winter blues while not sacrificing our anti-aging agenda?


1. One of the biggest causes of rough dull winter skin is that the air tends to be very dry outside – pair this with the indoor heat that we have blazing, & it’s the perfect storm for dehydrated skin. Using a hydrator {hyaluronic acid & glycerine are best} is essential at this time of year, as they pull water into the skin. One great hyaluronic acid product is Kate Somerville’s Quench {this has the added benefit of time-released retinol, more on that to come!}. A common mistake: don’t just dab these on & run out the door, since they just pull water from a moist environment into the less moist environment – this means that in dry air they can actually pull water out of your skin, which is the opposite of what we’re trying to achieve! I recommend that you apply a hydrator in a steamy bathroom after you shower, let it sink in for a minute, and then top with a moisturizer to lock in all that delicious hydration. Oily skin? You still need hydration in the winter, and SkinCeuticals’ Hydrating B5 Gel is an oil-free formulation that’s perfect for your skin.


2. Peptide products are ideal for wintertime, because they deliver powerful collagen boosting ingredients while also being anti-inflammatory – this means that you won’t dry out or redden your skin by using these, which is rare for an anti-aging product! With all the outside-cold to inside-warmth running around we all do at this time of year, blood vessels in the skin are constantly constricting & dilating, which can leave skin blotchy, particularly if you’re prone to redness. If you add irritating skin treatments to this, you can easily wind up on the wrong side of a rosy glow. Peptide creams can help to limit redness & are a perfect choice to layer over potentially inflaming treatments like retinol {more on that in a moment!}. The best-studied peptides are Matrixyl & Dermaxyl, which have been shown to promote new collagen, but many companies now have their own peptide ingredients. While these may be shown to be effective after more study, I recommend that you choose the most proven products possible – after all, peptides are simply the building blocks of proteins, so a company could grind up some grilled chicken, put it in a jar, & sell you a ‘peptide cream,’ but that doesn’t mean that it will improve your skin. Kate Somerville’s Deep Tissue Repair has both Matrixyl & Dermaxyl, & the Hydropeptide line {a great new addition to the La Papillon beauty arsenal} has a Matrixyl derivative & Dermaxyl.


3. Since retinoids like retinol or prescription-strength tretinoin make skin sun-sensitive, the less sunny winter months are the best for getting this super star ingredient into your skin. Retinoids are the most proven ingredient out there to improve the condition of your skin – they smooth texture, even tone, clear out pores, & stimulate collagen. The most powerful over-the-counter product available currently is likely SkinCeuticals’ Retinol 1.0 {of course, La Papillon has stocked up!}. If you’re ready for more, prescription-only Atralin combines tretinoin with hydrating hyaluronic acid to minimize irritation – this helps to avoid the chapped look that’s given retinoids a bad rap. Retinoids are best applied at bedtime & topped with a soothing moisturizer – you can multitask with a peptide cream to combine soothing with added collagen boosting!


With these tips, you’ll definitely have a glow in the snow!

xo,
your Diva of Dermatology


Noƫlle Sherber, M.D., F.A.A.D.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Fabulous Finds Friday


Forget chocolate, bring on the *um* powder? Bring a smile to any Valentine on your list with Physicians Formula's new Happy Glow & Mood Boosting Powder. Besides the super cute heart motif, this perfecting powder is infused with Euphoryl. What is it? A blend of plant extracts that promotes a feeling of happiness by mimicking the effect of endorphins! Happiness without additional calories? Yes please! Retails for $13.95


A gal can never go wrong with Stila lip glazes. I'm surprised to be saying that Stila has the better deal on Fabulous Finds Friday, but they do with this exclusive online collection for Sephora. $20 gets you their Make Me Blush heart compact + lip glazes in Huggs(creamy rose) & Kisses(sparkling red.) How adorable is that? So go on, have a heart!
Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Valentine's Sweet Treats

Valentine's Day is right around the corner beauties! Whether you're a romantic & j'adore the holiday, or even whether you have a beau or not - pick up a sweet treat for yourself! Forget cinnamon hots & scoop up our Cinnamon Lip Scrub from Sara Happ to keep you pucker soft!

Speaking of soft, just in time for Valentine's we got in Sara's divine new Vanilla Bean Body Scrub to slough off winter flakeys & reveal silky smooth skin. The gold box would be perfectly paired with a gift card for massage!

These mini speakers we carry at La Papillon are perfectly themed for Valentine's Day with their crystal heart, but will be used all year long!

How adorable is this little jewelry box from Pottery Barn? It'd be the perfect presentation for a little Valentine bling or the cutest little treat for a daughter filled with conversation hearts!

Of course, over at Tres Bon Bons we've been baking like crazy making sure that every sweet heart gets their delectable confections! So tell me, what gets your heart a flutter for Valentine's? What's on your wish list?
Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Winter Cleanse


Last week I did my first ever cleanse. I gave up alcohol, caffeine, sugar, dairy, gluten & red meat for 7 days. To be honest, I didn't think I would be able to do it. I'm definitely a carry out & dine out girl who loathes going to the grocery store. However, I wanted to prove to myself that I could. The hardest part was actually all of the preparation- it's definitely cheaper & easier to eat crap. But I made some great dishes, a frittata & lots of soups! I also had the support of great 2 friends who did the cleanse with me & did recipe swaps with me.
I have always been somewhat skeeved about preparing fish at home. I've worried that I wouldn't cook it all the way through or that it would stink up the house. Tilapia was a great fish to start with. A simple blend of lemons, capers & a little olive oil + sea salt made a surprisingly good meal that I made 2 nights out of the week!
Here was my first foray into turnips! I must admit the entire time prepping this concoction with white beans, carrots, onions & vegetable broth I thought that it was going to be a bust. I was pleasantly surprised at its creamy deliciousness!
I also bought a Vitamixer that I'm still experimenting with, but one divine treat I whipped up was with frozen strawberries, frozen bananas, an orange & a splash of coconut milk. It was like frozen yogurt- delish! I had warned all of the girls at the spa that I might be a raving lunatic & to bear with me, but ironically I felt pretty great. A little tired in the mornings without my coffee pick me up(which I had weened myself off of the previous week), but in general happier. Yesterday was my first day back & I felt a little lost as to what to start adding back in. I wanted to 'splurge' but couldn't find anything worthy & didn't want to set myself back. Even a 'healthy' grocery like Fresh Market presented tons of temptations. Hopefully this will be a turning point in trying to cut back on all the processed food in my life- fingers crossed!
Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Foundation

While I was in the Dominican for vacation, I caught up on the latest issue of WWD Beauty Biz.
In it I stumbled across a more indepth detailing of Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind Erase Treatment Make-up. I've seen the commercials, but thought the gimmick was more about the applicator on top, than what was in the bottle. The dome shape is said to glide over wrinkles, making them almost undetectable. What's inside? Along with collagen, millions of micro fibers that promise the foundation's coverage to reach fine lines & wrinkles to a microscopic level.

To be honest I don't know what all the fuss is about to warrant 7 years of research & 3 patents. Don't get me wrong, I do like the foundation. It gave medium coverage & made my skin smooth to the touch. However, there were no angels singing. However I might not be the ideal candidate though in terms of age group, so I will definitely have another beauty friend try it out. The applicator is my biggest issue & is difficult to manuver. I was expecting it to be soft, somewhat like my beloved Beauty Blender. However it's hard to the touch & applies somewhat streakily. I end up skimming the product off the top & applying how I normally would. To make it a smidge more annoying, you can't really remove the top. Maybelline's new foundation? 'Maybe' just not for me.
Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M