That’s the new OCC Lip Tar Stained Gloss
shown above (from left: Voyeur, Androgyne, Jealous, Meta, New Wave, Rhythm Box). They’re out now and we’ve got a review coming soon. Do we like them? Oh helllll yeah.
Question of the Week – Before we officially head into Summer 2013, tell us: What was your favorite new beauty product of Spring 2013, and why?
Answer: NARS Boys Don’t Cry from the Pierre Hardy launch. Single prettiest item to enter my vanity this spring!
Here are the League’s links for the week…
Nouveau Cheap – The semi-annual CVS Beauty Clearance Sale is officially underway, with many cosmetics reduced to 50% or 75% off. Here’s how you can maximize your savings.
Pink Sith – takes you on a fragrant journey through India, which just so happens to be the name of Lise Watier’s latest fragrance!
Prime Beauty – is channeling her “New York State of Mind” with the new NARS Hearts New York Limited Edition Gift Set!
Phyrra – brings you the Best in Cruelty-Free Beauty Brands! She includes MAC dupes & companies that ship Worldwide!
Vampy Varnish – loves the new bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipsticks and thinks you will find some shades you like as well!
we heart this – is proud to be one of the new Eucerin brand ambassadors, and they’re giving away fab products and a $100 Visa gift card to share the joy!
Beauty Junkies Unite – Finally, a U.S. BB cream that I just love! Check out the review & swatches of the brand new Kiehl’s Skin Tone Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream with SPF 50.
Clumps of Mascara – is a fan of Laura Gellar. If you are too then you are going to loooove a chance to win this giveaway.
EauMG – reviews her favorite fruity perfume, Neela Vermeire Creations Bombay Bling. It captures the colors and vibrancy of Bollywood and puts it in scent form!
Gouldylox Reviews – Ever heard of a self-tanning body wash? Me either. It’s definitely different…
Lipglossiping – will always appreciate lovely candles and tasty fried breakfasts. But both at the same time? Bacon-scented candles? Hmmm…
My Beauty Bunny – Want super soft, smooth skin? Whip up this DIY Blueberry Mask for an antioxidant-rich, low-cost and yummy smelling treat for the face!
Guest Post of the Week, as chosen by Nouveau Cheap – Gradient nails can be challenging to execute, but this lovely, 70s-inspired look by Sarah at Chalkboard Nails only requires two colors–even I may be able to pull this one off!
How about you, we heartsters: What was your favorite new beauty product of Spring 2013, and why?
Filed in: beauty & fashion
It’s getting hot in here…
First things first, I hate to create a frenzy…oh, who am I kidding? I love creating frenzy! But if you want anything from MAC Temperature Rising you MUST act quick.
This collection launched a couple of days earlier than its May 23 release date and is nearly sold out at MAC online, and going fast at other online retailers (Nordstrom, Macy’s etc.) I’m talking, “stop by your local store this weekend” kind of quick. And let’s just get this out there – if you see the Bare My Soul quad, buy it. I’d bet money that you will not be sad that you did. Consider your frenzy created.
If that intro wasn’t an indication, I love this launch. LOVE! I’m a huge fan of MAC’s summer releases. Hey Sailor!, Surf Baby! and To The Beach hit it out of the park for the last three years. And as a counterpart to the daytime beachy coral romps that those collections were, Temperature Rising is steamy, bronze and magenta nocturnal crawl. And I, for one, am hot and bothered.
Prince would totally love this…
And can I get a huzzah for special packaging? These are as sexy as what’s inside them; a slightly rubberized gradient bronze with a bright purple interior on the boxes. Very sultry.
Let’s get right into the Eye and Lip products (Bronzing review coming soon)…
Temperature Rising and Bare My Soul
Temperature Rising is the quad that you can still easily find. Don’t dismiss it simply because it’s partner is so damn hot; this quad is a little hottie too! It’s a subtle plum affair that plays really well with bronze. Let’s call it summer plum.
Performance Art, Temperature Rising, Swelter, Beauty Marked
Performance Art (veluxe pearl) – plummy taupe with a very slight gold sheen
Temperature Rising (lustre) – peachy tan with bronze micro glitter
Swelter (frost) – dirty medium greyed plum
Beauty Marked (velvet) – black with red micro glitter
Very nice pigment and consistency all around.
More, including the must-have Bare My Soul quad, lip products, additional photos and swatches…
Filed in: beauty & fashion, reviews
Want to win a duo of Eucerin products and a $100 Visa Gift Card? You’re in the right place!
One winner will slather their skin with Daily Protection SPF 30 Moisturizing Face Lotion and SPF 15 Moisturizing Body Lotion, then enter the sunshine with confidence (the $100 Visa gift card in their pocket will help too.)
Click here to enter using our super easy Rafflecopter form…
Filed in: giveaways
To raise awareness of Skin Cancer Awareness month and to kick off both the holiday weekend AND summer: We’re joining Eucerin and our fellow brand ambassadors to host a Twitter party tomorrow called #NoFryFriday. It’s happening from 10am – 4pm and we’d love if you could stop by during our portion before you head out for your holiday: Know Before You Go, SPF Decoded, from 3 – 4pm (EST). Make sure you tweet with the #NoFryFriday
There’s more in it for you than just brownie points with us:
• Get 10 extra entry points on our Eucerin $100 Visa gift card giveaway we’re having right now if you tweet during our hour.
• All day Twitter giveaways! Win a Grand Prize Pack (including a floppy hat, Sunglass Hut Gift Card, Eucerin products and more) or single products. There will be one grand prize winner and two product winners per hour.
So let’s talk SPF – see you Friday at 3pm!
Filed in: potluck
Safety first! Remember to protect your skin this summer.
With the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, summer is officially here! Time for swimsuits, flip-flops and days spent lounging by the water. And while we want you to enjoy some time under the sun, we also want you to be careful when exposing yourself to the sun’s harmful rays. In fact, as Brand Ambassadors we’ve teamed up with Eucerin Skincare to help spread the word (and the sunscreen) during Skin Cancer Awareness Month.
Did you know more than two million people per year are diagnosed with skin cancer? And while it is one of the most common forms of cancer, it is also one of the most preventable. That’s why Eucerin in asking you make skin health a priority and take their Skin First Pledge.
Just head on over to Facebook, take the pledge and you will receive a Free Eucerin sample. And don’t forget that sunscreen, shade and awareness can help you stay safe this summer and all year long. A few tips to keep in mind while enjoying the summer days:
• Skin Cancer doesn’t discriminate, it can affect anyone. Head to toe annual skin checks can help catch melanoma early – when it’s most curable.
• You can decrease your UV exposure by wearing protective clothing, sunglasses and avoiding the sun between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
• Always remember to apply sunscreen 20-30 minutes before going outside and make sure to reapply it every two hours.
• Don’t forget to use SPF on days when it’s cloudy because the sun’s harmful UV rays can still cause damage and increase your risk of developing melanoma
Speaking of SPF, Eucerin has an array of affordable and effective sunscreen lotions to help keep you safe while enjoying the outdoors. I’ve trusted and used Eucerin products for years, so I was happy to have the chance to test two products from their Daily Protection line:
More, including additional photos and reviews…
Filed in: beauty & fashion
Indie polish with a punk edge
Our Indie Nail Polish Spotlight is a new ongoing series that highlights not only the new and upcoming stars in the indie nail polish world, but the entrepreneurs behind them. These small business owners are making their dreams come true by starting their own lines and we heart this believes that you do not need a big name to make a big splash in the beauty world!
You can’t say the word “punk” without thinking of the Ramones. (And if you don’t, we should talk. I have a playlist and some homework for you.) Spearheading the punk revolution, the Ramones burst onto the scene in the mid-70’s and influenced an entire generation with their simple but hard driving guitar chords and general badass attitudes. Their influence today isn’t always a hit (I’m looking at you, Met Gala) but sometimes it’s as cool as the originals, as evidenced by indie nail polish maker Nina of Model City and her Ramones Inspired Collection!
I purchased these for myself and went with the Complete Ramones Inspired Mini Size Collection ($12) so I could have all three colors – and because I have an obsession with all things wee. I especially love Model City’s logo; slick and interesting, it tells you right away that Nina is the right person to create a collection based on punk icons.
All swatches shown: index and ring finger are three coats by themselves, middle and pinky are two coats over black. All have Nail Pattern Boldness Glitter Food and a top coat.
First up is Wanna Be Your Boyfriend ($8 full sized), a stunner in black and blue. Model City describes it as “a black jelly base filled with bright blue dots and small holographic teal glitter.” This applies like a dream; smooth with no digging around to get the larger glitter out of the bottle.
I found that when I applied it lightly, I got mostly the jelly base and a teeny bit of glitter. More pressure with the brush revealed more of the blue dots, like they were hiding in the bristles. I really liked this aspect because it let me build up a nice base with the jelly without overloading my nail with glitter.
More, including additional photos, swatches, and pros and cons…
Filed in: beauty & fashion, Nail Polish Porn
The Easiest (and Most Sparkly) DIY Ever!
Glitter is a great accessory to add to any outfit. So being able to add some glittery bling in a matter of seconds with a ring is the perfect go-to statement piece for me. This DIY jewelry project will only take you seconds to complete and will leave you sparkling!
Supplies:
• Ring base with clear glass top
• Glitter
• Glitter Bond or any glue
Tip: I found the ring base on eBay for a mere 12 bucks – click here to purchase one (or two) for yourself.
Read on for the DIY instructions…
Filed in: beauty & fashion, DIY
No need for rose-colored glasses when you have a rose-scented cream! For those with dry skin and anyone who either has wrinkles or has concerns about wrinkles (so, pretty much everyone), the latest from Michael Todd True Organics is for you. But don’t take our word for it, win the Damascus Rose Cream and see for yourself.
Good news, this giveaway is open worldwide!
Click here to enter using our super easy Rafflecopter form…
Filed in: giveaways
Roses are red and this cream helps me from feeling blue!
The beauty goddess must be smiling upon me, because I recently received another amazing Michael Todd True Organics product for review. (If you worry about crow’s feet, dark circles and puffiness and haven’t checked out their incredible eye-o-sonic yet – go read our review). Their latest, the Michael Todd Damascus Rose Wrinkle Cream is yet another step forward in the fight against wrinkles, slack skin and aging.
While I once had skin that wavered between combination and plain old oily, as I’ve aged I have noticed my skin is noticeably drier and my old lotions just weren’t cutting it. While they offered instant moisture, they quickly seemed to disappear, leaving me with skin that looks and feels kind of crinkly and devoid of life. After just two weeks using the Damascus Rose Enriched Wrinkle Cream ($125) and my skin is starting to look like it’s old (make that young!) self.
Formulated for mature and dry skin, the Michael Todd Damascus Rose Wrinkle Cream is packed with natural age-fighting ingredients that have been making both an immediate and long-term impact on my skin. According to the folks at Michael Todd, Damascus Rose “contains 10 different “peptides,” including next generation tri-peptides to ratchet up collagen production.” As the body ages, collagen production slows down leading to skin that is less plump, full and tight. The peptides in this cream can help keep collagen levels up and slow down the sag.
Additionally, the Damascus Rose Wrinkle Cream is “rich in essential oils of Avocado, Jojoba, Palm, Rose Hip, Wheat Germ, Carrot Seed and Neem synergistically combined with antioxidants A, B5, C, E and Co-Enzyme Q-10″ that combine to nourish and moisturize the skin while fighting against environmental stress. Top that off with blue green algae and black willow bark to help eliminate toxins while remineralizing and healing skin and you have one powerful little jar of cream!
More, including additional photos and pros & cons…
Filed in: beauty & fashion, reviews
Pssst…this super moist cornbread is vegan too!
I recently visited the Sabra home base for my job as spice mistress, and I had my mind blown when their executive chef made us a spice cake using hummus instead of butter. Let that sink in for a second: HUMMUS CAKE. You can do that?!?
In case I hadn’t made it abundantly clear by now, I love to bake. I tend not to mess with the chemistry of it all, instead focusing on confusing your taste buds with weird flavor combos, but learning that hummus makes an acceptable substitute for butter kind of boggled my mind. The cake was still sweet, but had a nutty undertone, and the craziest part – it was super duper moist.
My part in the visit was to chat about spices and how deliciously important they are. The rest of the party was made up of food bloggers, and being food bloggers, they are used to documenting recipes in meticulous detail and asked the chef for the recipe. The chef, being a professional chef, was all, “Oh I just threw it together. I’ll think about it and try to write it down.” This sort of thing can cause a nervous twitch with food bloggers. Needless to say, I didn’t really even know where to start – but couldn’t wait to try!
Let me just note here, since my mission was to evangelize about spices, I was under no obligation to create some sort of recipe. I just got super pumped about this revelation and thought this was a pretty good challenge. Though my baked goods are usually in the sweets realm, I do have a special spot in my heart for cornbread, and it occurred to me that using the savoriness of hummus would be a match made in heaven. Not to mention that moistness is of the utmost importance with cornbread.
I figured that as long as I was partway there, I might as well double my challenge and make it vegan. I have a few vegan friends and seldom provide for them anything even half as exciting as my butter and egg-laden offerings. This one’s for you guys!
Hummus Cornbread Recipe
• 1 cup medium grind cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup Sabra hummus
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup water
• Cooking spray
Tip: The best part about this recipe is that if you want spicy cornbread you can pick a spicy flavor; if you want garlicky cornbread you can use garlic, and so on.
Read on for the recipe…
Filed in: eat, drink, be merry, recipes
