Too Faced: Cocoa Powder Foundation

A Sephora Exclusive available in eight shades that work on almost any skin tone, Too Faced Cocoa Powder Foundation ($34) is a calorie free treat for your face! 

Rich in antioxidants, this powder foundation helps your skin maintain moisture while minimizing the appearance of fine lines and pores with a luminous rose petal finish. It's an oil absorbing, non - drying formula with a decadent chocolate scent! 

Too Faced Co-Founder and Creative Director Jerrod Blandino was inspired to infuse antioxidant- rich cocoa in makeup while getting a chocolate facial at a Hawaiian spa. Jerrod then learned of chocolate's benefits to the skin and decided to include the ingredient in Too Faced's best selling Chocolate Soleill Bronzer, Chocolate Bar Eye Shadow Palette and now Cocoa Powder Foundation.

Available in Fair, Light, Golden Light ( pictured), Light Medium, Medium, Medium/Tan, Tan and Deep Tan. Available at www.sephora.com now! 

ORLANE Paris: Aqua Svelte Slimming Scrub with Algae and Sea Salt

This shower gel not only smells delightful but is said to fight visible cellulite both quickly and effectively. How could I pass up the chance to reduce cellulite?!

ORLANE Paris created Aqua Svelte Slimming Scrub with Algae and Sea Salt ( $ 65) to exfoliate, detoxify and slim targeted cellulite areas of your body. It removes dead cells from the surface and it's active ingredients include microspheres, caffeine, ginger essential oil and marine algae.

When this products come into contact with water, it releases it's exfoliating particles and it's purifying, slimming ingredients. Invigorating marine notes contribute to the hydrotherapy effect as well. It's quick and easy to use and a small portion goes a long way. 

It is recommended to be used with the principals of hydrotherapy which means taking an energetic massage under hot water, followed by a cold water rinse to tone skin and prolong the effects of active ingredients. I have used this approach for many years as it supposedly helps your hair color from fading quickly and also aids in your body's circulation.

This is certainly a progressive shower gel! Ready for purchase at ORLANE. 

3.1 Phillip Lim for NARS: NINE New Nail Lacquers!

Hello my fellow NARSissists! I know you have seen my teasers on Social Media and here is the full details of the newest collaboration to date from NARS....

NARS and Phillip Lim have a long standing relationship collaborating over the past 14 seasons on the 3.1 Phillip Lim runway show during New York Fashion Week since the Fall 2007. The collection combines Phillip’s signature style with NARS’ iconic and audacious beauty philosophy.

You received a sneak peek of this during New York Fashion Week and now we can reveal the collection in its entirety: for Fall 2014, NARS Cosmetics introduces an exciting nail collaboration with famed fashion designer Phillip Lim.  The 3.1 Phillip Lim for NARS Nail Collection includes nine limited edition nail shades inspired by the “colors that exist in the shadows.” With a covetable canvas pochette and nine limited edition shades, one of which will be available exclusively at NARS boutiques and Nars Cosmetics online, get your hands on them (and then nails) beginning July 15^th.

SHADES INCLUDE:

ANARCHY- Angora

OTHER SIDE- Bitter Chocolate

HELL-BENT- Lacquer Red

WRONG TURN- Graphite

GOLD VIPER- Champagne

DARK ROOM- Blue Denim

SHUTTER- Black Sea Green

CROSSROADS- African Violet

INSIDIOUS*- Black Bronze

*Exclusive to NARS boutiques and Nars Cosmetics online

PRICE: Nail polish $20/each, Pochette $80

Maybelline's Newest Launches!

Maybelline New York is proud to introduce several new products that will quickly become the newest beauty must-haves. Check out these six new items that are sure to help you master your beauty routine. You know I have been posting images of these new products on Social Media so it is my pleasure to now officially share the details with all of you...

The NUDES Palette

This palette is the ultimate beauty staple. The 12 long- wearing shades range from sweet vanilla to creamy caramel. A mixture of matte and shimmery finishes will take your from day to night and everywhere in between. $11.99

Dream Wonder Fluid Touch Foundation

A flawless complexion is no longer a dream. This silky, lightweight liquid foundation melts into skin for maximum coverage without the caked-on feel. The unique tear drop applicator is easy-to-use and allows for a clean application. Voila… skin is impeccable, yet undetectable. $10.99

Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24HR Leathers Cream-Gel Shadow

One of fashion’s hottest, year-round trends can now be applied to the eyes for a unique look that lasts and last. This soft, supple, easy-to-apply shadow, stays in place all day and won’t smudge or smear. Available in 5 shades: Chocolate Suede, Creamy Beige, Deep Forest, Dramatic Black and Vintage Plum. $6.99

Master Kajal Eyeliner

Exotic and glamorous, this eyeliner is sure to keep eyes in the spotlight. Whether creating a smoldering eye or classic cat eye, the precise cone-shaped tip can do it all. The creamy formula glides on smooth with no gaps or skipping making eyes appear luminescent against the bold, pigmented color. Available in 4 shades: Charcoal Skies, Midnight Brown, Navy Night and Onyx Rush. $7.99

Baby Lips Crystals

Everyone’s favorite lip balm just got a touch of shimmer. These sweet, shimmery lip balms provide clinical care to moisturize lips, not just while you are wearing it, but over time as well for visibly renewed lips. See results in just one week! Available in 6 shades: Twinkling Taupe, Mirrored Mauve, Pink Quartz, Gleaming Coral, Crystal Kiss and Beam of Blush. $4.49

Color Show Nail Lacquer Jewels & Veils

Life is too short for a boring mani! Color Show Jewels formula contains over-sized particles that encrust nails in a layer of gems. The lacquers instantly create a unique and ornate look that is sure to glitz up any nails. Color Show Veils provides a different dimension of texture, where refined glitters rule and create a luminous nail effect. The easy flow brush on both polishes ensures smooth and even delivery every time. Color Show Jewels are available in 5 shades: Gilded In Gold, Mosaic Prism, Precious Pearl, Platinum Adorn and Gleaming Graphite. Color Show Veils are available in 5 shades: Rose Mirage, Amethyst Aura, Crystal Disguise, Teal Beam and Blue Glaze. $3.99

More pictures and swatches to come!

Bond No. 9 Newest Launch: Shelter Island

When I was younger, my parents rented a house for a week on Shelter Island. It was the first time I had ever seen a deer up close and enjoyed riding a bike all around the area. I met many people and they were super kind to me, the newcomer. I remember having a major crush on a young man that resembled Tom Cruise and admired his laid back attitude.

First the Hamptons, then Montauk, then Sag Harbor and at last comes Shelter Island, Bond No. 9’s Summer ’14 beach scent (an astonishing marine oud). The East End is now fully perfumed.

At Bond No. 9, they always know when summer’s ahead. That’s when they introduce a new New York beach-centric scent. Summer 2014 is no exception—and as in the past, they're deriving their inspiration from the East End. You know. Those two spits of precious, all but priceless land and shoreline which literally jut out like direction pointers from the eastern most end of Long Island into the North Atlantic. Also referred to as the North and South Forks, this is the fabled, sought-after terrain where untold numbers of Manhattan denizens choose to decamp, hobnob, and even occasionally (and amazingly) relax on July and August weekends.

They have already done eaux de parfum for the ultra-stylish, see-and-be-seen Hamptons; the still somewhat funky former fishing outpost of Montauk; and the quaint village of Sag Harbor, which retains its old-fashioned charm. So it came as no surprise when inquiring perfumistas and beachcombers alike began asking, What about Shelter Island? You didn’t forget it, did you? No they didn’t. 

Shelter Island, 27 square miles located sandwiched between the North and South Forks, complete with a sizable nature preserve, meandering creeks, wandering deer, and Queen Anne and Colonial Revival mansions, is their Summer ’14 beach scent which arrived on counters Memorial Day. It’s a magical place, unique in many ways. For one thing, everything is slow paced on this island. The speed limit never exceeds 35mph, and even the über-stylish Rivieraesque Sunset Beach Hotel maintains the island’s low-key charm that, amazingly, is even more laid back than Sag Harbor’s (which is saying a lot). After all, this is storm-protected terrain where Manhasset Indians and later sugar merchants, Quakers, and fish processors found sanctuary.

Shelter Island, the scent, has a delightful magic of its own. The world’s first marine oud, it is a revelation. A jaunty, sparkling-clean, decidedly unisex, quietly daring blend of oud—the precious and seductive Eastern-world hardwood that has recently become a mainstay in Western perfumery with algae extract, a savory and energizing nautical note. Like Shelter Island itself, it hints of nonchalant exotica. The starter notes are fresh and sparkling citrus zest and freshly ground black pepper; together they deliver a decided punch. Then comes a segue into seemingly contradictory mid-notes: soft and beckoning white lilies accompanied by bracing and briny algae extract. Imagine a garden by the sea. That’s the effect here. And for the kicker: Oud, combined with another iconic wood note, sandalwood, as well as amber, myrrh, and musk—all of them reliable base notes that add warmth to Shelter Island’s aquatic flavor. But it’s oud above all—the same oud used in the Eastern world to scent lapels so that its sweet, woody scent dominated during traditional cheek-to-cheek greetings—that provides Shelter Island’s unique flavor. 

With the bottle design, shipshape simplicity is served. One side of the Bond No. 9 superstar bottle proudly displays jaunty deep blue and white stripes. (How often do you see stripes in perfume bottle decor? How about hardly ever?) Turn the bottle over, and, the design reverses to pristine all-white. Shelter Islanders will appreciate the spare-ness of it all....

About Bond No. 9 New York: In business for ten years, Bond No. 9 is an edgy downtown perfumery, committed to designing artisanal scented evocations of the neighborhoods and streets of New York—from Riverside Drive to Chinatown to Coney Island. Bond No. 9 has a dual mission: To restore artistry to perfumery, and to mark every New York neighborhood with a scent of its own. Each fragrance represents a specific downtown, midtown, or uptown locale or a city-wide sensibility. An impassioned client base advises us on which parts of town they’d like us to do next. What Laurice Rahme is doing, is scenting the entire island.
Shelter Island, Price: 100ml, $260; 50ml, $195