Archive for the ‘Skin care’ Category

w&w answers: What’s the best face mask for me?

September 6th, 2010 Meghan
w&w answers: What’s the best face mask for me?

If you’ve ever spent time in a spa or even a Sephora for that matter, you know there are umpteen amount of face masks from which to choose to give yourself and your skin that much needed TLC. Which is why I thought I’d give you the run down on masks I’ve come to know and those that will help just about any ailment you may be lamenting over.

Best Instant Pick-me up mask:

Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing mask, $52

This super quick fix mask has been an InStyle best beauty award winner for the past two years and for good reason as it delivers oxygen, antioxidants and Vitamin C to your skin with micro-bubbles that make you feel like you’re having a professional facial. The mask takes dull, tired and sallow skin and transforms it into a brighter complexion instantly that’ll leave your skin looking fresher and younger in just five minutes.

Best Exfoliating mask:

Murad Pomegranate Exfoliating mask, $22.50

Murad recently sent this mask to me to try out after I read that it won a SELF beauty award for best facial mask. Well, I’ll say that the honor was well deserved. After just one use my skin was brighter and tighter and for the 15 minutes it was on my face it felt as though I could feel my pores being cleansed with a cooling sensation as it was softly exfoliated. This mask is chock-full of antioxidants and frees your skin of dead skin cells while hydrating and conditioning it.

Best Deep Cleansing mask:

LaRocca 24K Gold Cocoa Gold, $50

Dirty, deep and downright great. If you crave purifying and an intense clean this is the mask for you. Get all the dirty details here.

Best Purifying mask:

Bliss Steep Clean Pore Purifying mask, $54

This mask is like a spa in a bottle and is great if you have combination skin or break out under stress or around your period and need to de-congest your pores. The Steep Clean mask regulates your oil production  without drying your skin For all the full oohs and aahs, read WIT & Whimsy’s full review here.

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Mi(a) Amore

August 4th, 2010 Meghan
Mi(a) Amore

CLARISONIC® 'Berry Mia' Set (Nordstrom Exclusive)

I’ve heard about the Clarisonic for a while now, but it wasn’t until I put a tweet out into the oh-so-full-of-opinions-and-feedback twittersphere that I realized I was missing out on the beauty that is the Clarisonic. They were kind enough to send one of their too-cute for words Mia sets (this one in particular is sold as an exclusive kit at Nordstrom for $149) my way to try out and I now am a full-time member of the fan club. In short, the Clarisonic is A-mazing.

Clarisonic uses it fancy patented sonic frequency to deliver more than 300 movements per second to your skin that gently (and I mean gently- it’s so soft and smooth!) and effectively loosen dirt and oil to cleanse your pores. According to Clarisonic, in just 60 seconds a day, the micro-massage action cleans more than twice as effectively as manual cleansing. Love the sound of this, right!?

Now you and I both always hear companies that make claims, but aren’t able to deliver, but I’m happy to report that Clarisonic is not one of them. After using the Mia system for over two weeks now, I can attest that it does in fact live up to all the hype. It will indeed deliver the following:

  • Remove 6x more makeup than manual cleansing
  • Leave your skin feeling and looking smoother
  • Cleanse so well that products absorb better
  • Be gentle enough for twice daily use
  • Help reduce oily areas, dry skin patches and blemishes
  • Help reduce the appearance of visible pores

Legitimately, Andrea and I have been using the Mia every day now (the cute Nordstrom kit comes with two heads, how convenient for roomies like us) and are obsessed. Conversations in our bathroom have turned into, “seriously, this is incredible” and “I love, love, love this thing!” Not to mention, their Gentle Hydro Cleanser smells and feels like a dream. You can also use it in the shower. Seriously this little guy is nothing short of amazing.

The Clarisonic is indeed our mi amore. As if you couldn’t already tell…

p.s – For more Clarisonic be sure to check out their newly launched blog, Sonic Chatter. And for a great little step by step tutorial on cleansing with the Mia, check out one of our bff’s, Inspired Shannon’s, guide.

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Best of Summer: Beauty

July 13th, 2010 Meghan
Best of Summer: Beauty

We prefer summer beauty routines over winter for a lot of reasons. We’ve also found some new favorites this summer that we just had to share.

MAC Cosmetics has just launched a partnership we were waiting for with baited breath. Partnering with w&w favorite designer, Alice + Olivia, Mac pioneered this unique duo has come together to offer some stellar and super bright collection of color in pigments, dazzleglass creme glosses and nail lacquers. Our pick of the pack? The pigment “Partylicious” which was specifically designed to accompany the Alice + Olivia collection. We could have way too much fun with this on our eyes!

Mystic Tan’s Sunless Tanning Spray is one of the best ways we have found to tan at home. After many failed attempts with products from L’Oreal and Neutrogena, we’re happy to share that Mystic’s at-home tanning products work just as well as the salon. Their Face + Body spray is alcohol free, quick-drying, and deep penetrating to give natural looking sun-kissed skin.

NARS’ lip glosses are so lightweight you won’t even feel like you are wearing anything on your lips. We’re loving punchy pinks this Summer and Easy Lover is the perfect candidate for the job.

Leave it to Benefit to craft a great pore-minimizing balm. Given the hot weather and far too many makeup-melting scenarios you may find yourself in, The POREfessional feels like a feather in application as it’s silky and lightweight and a perfect primer for the rest of your makeup.

Some scents just say summer and lemon verbena is one of them. Brighten up your shower with Yardley’s nourishing bar soaps. The scent is bright and refreshing and a great way to wake up during your a.m.  Plus, it’s enriched with shea butter so it’ll leave your skin soft and moisturized.

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photos courtesy of individual retailers mentioned

Posted in Beauty, Hair, Makeup, Skin care Tags: , , , 1 Comment »

Review: La Roche-Posay Effaclar AI Intensive Acne Spot Treatment

July 7th, 2010 Meghan
Review: La Roche-Posay Effaclar AI Intensive Acne Spot Treatment

We adore when you find products that are so wonderfully effective and we love it even more when they come at a reasonable price and follow through on their promises!

La Roche-Posay Effaclar AI Intensive treatment is a targeted breakout corrector formulated with La Roche-Posay’s patented Thermal Spring Water. It delivered results with minimal irritation and works in just a few days to reduce stubborn and/or inflammatory acne.

This is great given that, according to the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, studies show that acne affects more than 50 percent of women between the ages of 20-29 and more than 25 percent of women between the ages of 40-49.

We loved the results after a week of using this targeted treatment and think it’s fabulous for getting your bod in tip top bikini shape when you’ve got all that skin exposed- woot woot!

Effeclar AI is $29.00 and available at select physicians’ offices, pharmacys or online at www.laroche-posay.us.

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photo courtesy of La Roche-Posay

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These are a few of Francois Nars’ favorite things…

June 17th, 2010 Meghan
These are a few of Francois Nars’ favorite things…

As you all know, we are total makeup junkies. Honestly, we could spend days in Sephora and never get bored! We also know and love NARS Cosmetics (and so do other beauty bffs of ours!) so we were stoked to see that earlier this month The Wall Street Journal profiled  Founder & Creative Director François Nars.

Highlighting his favorite things, François named objects found on Motu Tane,  his very own Tahitian island and a great source of inspiration behind many of the products he creates for NARS.

Check out some of his favorites below! Additionally, you can see even more on NARS’ Facebook page, too!

Tiare Flower: a gardenia that grows on Motu Tane; also the inspiration behind NARS Monoï Body Glow II. François has over 70 bushes in his garden.

Coconut: “I could just eat Coconut and be the happiest man in the world,” says François, who eats it daily while on Motu Tane. Coconut lover, also? Its extract is used in NARS Body Glow (the shimmering counterpart to NARS Monoï Body Glow II-both have the same scent).

Chawanmushi: a Japanese steamed-egg custard dish. François is “mad about Japanese food.” However food isn’t the only object of Japan close to François’ heart. Check out his Japanese-inspired NARS Kabuki Brushes.

Roi Soleil Candle, Cire Trudon: a mix of French oak, pine and citrus inspired by the scent of the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. For another Versailles-inspired product, check out new-for-summer NARS Versailles Nail Polish.

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photo courtesy of NARS Cosmetics and The Wall Street Journal

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Summer sun safety

June 3rd, 2010 Meghan
Summer sun safety

We are beach sound for vacation super soon and in doing so we know that not only are we having (getting!) to pack all sorts of fun dresses, espadrilles, bikinis, rompers and sunnies, we’re doing our best to hear our mothers’ words of wisdom when it comes to fun in the sun: wear sunscreen!

Naturally, when Women’s Health magazine sent us over some of their best SPF tips, we knew it was high time we share them with our lovely readers as we all embark upon sun-filled summers. (By the way, Women’s Health is fast becoming one of our favorite magazines. We had always coveted our time with Vogue, SELF, Glamour and Elle, but are totally loving WH of recent. If you don’t read it, pick up a copy one of these days. We promise you’ll like it!)

So without further or due…

1. Protect from the Inside Out

Sun damage causes free radicals, which all edible antioxidants fight. Some work better at protecting against the sun’s rays. Your best bites are reddish-orange foods that are high in lycopene, such as tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, apricots, and papayas, and foods and beverages that are rich in flavonoids, such as green tea and dark chocolate. You’ll need at least 10 weeks of daily ingestion to optimize the benefits.

2. Seek Shades

Ultrastylish oversize sunglasses are more than just a fashion statement. They also shield the paper-thin skin around your eyes from dangerous UV damage (5 to 10 percent of all skin cancers appear on the eyelids) as well as the formation of fine lines and crow’s-feet. More important, sun exposure can affect the eye itself (specifically the cornea, lens, and retina), causing cataracts and macular degeneration over time.

3. Sport SPF-WEAR

Bikinis are de rigueur pool- and beachside, but they provide little sun protection. If you’re going to be in the water, take a cue from the world’s sexiest surfer girls and rock a rash guard. The fabric in Letarte rash guards has a UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) of 50-plus, which blocks 98 percent of harmful UV rays.

The truth is, all clothing has a sun protection factor, but it’s not enough to combat summer sun. The lighter the clothing color, the less it shields. A white T-shirt has an SPF of 4 to 6, while a black one has 9 or 10. However all washables can have a UPF of 30: Just add a packet of SunGuard ($2; sunguardsunprotection.com) to your laundry during the wash cycle. Pretty cool, huh?

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photo courtesy of Women’s Health

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Get dirty with this face mask

May 20th, 2010 Meghan
Get dirty with this face mask

LaRocca’s 24K Cocoa Gold Vitamin mask is the kind of beauty that’s messy, but in a good way. This skin renewing treatment delivers antioxidants and aims to detoxify (good for all us city gals!), purify, hydrate and rejuvenate.

After diving into the clay-like substance we let the mask dry and upon several uses definitely felt our skin feeling hydrated, rather than dried out like so many other face mask products. We felt our skin was smoother and tighter as a result of this hydration and can see, overtime, they will be able to deliver on its promise to lift impurities.

HOW TO USE: After washing your face, apply a thin layer of mask with soft circular motions to help it get into the pores all over face and neck avoiding eye area. Always allow mask to dry for best results. When the mask is dry rinse thoroughly with warm water and apply moisturizer.

LaRocca products can be bought online or you can find your nearest retailer here. The 24K mask retails for approximately $50.

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