Beach Bag Bonanza

Now that I have my winter skin under control, it's time to start thinking about the beach.  If you live near the ocean or are just going to visit for a while, these are some must haves while enjoying sand, surf and sun.

First you'll want a great sunscreen. Chanel  has just reformulated their UV Essential Day Care Lotion now with a higher SPF - 50!- oil free and a smoother, drier texture. It's great for keeping those wrinkle causing rays away.  And for the body - Natura Bisse Spray Sunscreen SPF 30.

Pop into that tote one of Laura Mercier's  fabulous new lip balm SPF 15 and keep your lips kissable.  A great way to add a hint of color to your already luscious lips, this balm has long lasting moisture and broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection.

Keeping hydrated while at the beach is a must. In addition to water you consume, you should also try the Floral Mist Spray from Sisley. This product is guaranteed to moisten and refresh the skin. Spray over face and body for an instant pick-me-up.

Turning day into night, Bobbi Brown  has a terrific new oil free foundation. New Natural Finish blocks humidity for an all night (or day) soft matte, fresh finish.  Perfect for those steamy, tropical paradise evenings.

And with all that extra dewiness, don't forget an impeccable water proof mascara.  I like Everlong from YSL . An all in one lengthening, thickening, separating mascara, and it won't end up where it isn't supposed to.

Lastly, you'll need a great bag to hold all those beach goodies. My fav is this one from Beau-Coup .  I love it's huge pockets and simple style. It's large enough to carry towels, flip flops, books, water, and all the cosmetic necessities mentioned on this blog. And you can have it selfishly monogramed.



Paint your toes red (not your skin) and enjoy your time under the sun.

Winter Skin Savers

Spending a great deal of time out doors in the winter wreaks havoc on my skin.  It becomes dry and tired looking; losing it's clarity, energy and elasticity.  Glancing in the mirror nearly caused me to weep as I noticed small breaks in the capillaries around my cheeks and nose, the dryness of my chin and the clearly noticeable furrows between my brows.  Since I'm not planning on giving up skiing, snowshoeing or back-country adventuring anytime soon I needed help - and fast.
Help came in the way of three incredible products.
The first is a new product from La Mer  Launched this month, it has been a true winter skin saver. The Regenerating Serum is a powerful combination of the original Miracle Broth and new ingredient technologies including The Regenerating Ferment and Marine Peptide Ferment.  Working with Colloidal Gold as a transmitter this product delivers delicious and immediate benefits to the skin including: firmer elasticity, tighter pores and greater clarity. Working from the inside out the Regenerating Serum boosts skins' natural production of collagen thereby plumping up the fine lines that appear due to stress and the natural process of aging.  The deep furrows between my brows?  Nearly gone.

I have partnered the Regenerating Serum with a fabulous face cream from La Prairie  The Anti Aging Stress Cream has been a Goddess send.  In addition to completely rehydrating my skin, it has diminished the redness that comes with wind burn and altitude, healed my broken capillaries and smoothed out all the rough spots.  I am in love and faithful. ♥

Lastly - my ever tried and true eye cream from Revive.

I now have all the armor I need to continue to do battle with the elements and conquer!
Go outdoors and Live Your Beauty.

W Magazine and Aspen fashion Week

Hello Adoring fans.... Working with W magazine this week here in beautiful Aspen Colorado.  They are key sponsors in the second year of Aspen Fashion Week.
Working with Trina, W's fashion editor on a shopping segment which will air on Plum TV and W's web-site beginning April 24th.  I will be certain to post a link for all to check out.
So on our shopping adventure we visited some of the finest boutiques in Aspen. Our first stop was the locally owned Gallerie. They carry such fabulous designers as Aiko, Alexander Wang, Catherine Melandrino, Nicole Farhi and many more.  Trina picked up a few things there and the we moved on to Theory, Optika, Prada, Montclair, and Louis Vuitton. Needless to say we had a blast.  The weather was gorgeous and the shops gracious.
For those who want to know what I used to perfect Trina's flawless face; We started with a make-up primer from YSL and followed with an oil free foundation from Sisley. On Trina's cheeks, I dusted a soft peach color from MAC and highlighted with a soft ivory.  Her eyes we kept simple and trendy with a bone eyeshadow from Bobbi Brown and a gold shimmer eyeshadow from Smashbox.  We finished off the look with a violet/brown kohl eye pencil and a soft plumy lipgloss from NARS.
Tomorrow it's video editorial for W with Diesel and Chloe.  Stay tuned.....

An Icon Rediscovered - Coco Chanel

It's New.  It's Fabulous.  It's Cult Worthy.  The new daring lipstick from Chanel - Rouge Coco.
It has been a while since I have been excited about a one item launch, but this one is worth all of the attention it has been receiving. The perfect basic; it defines, it shines, it looks good on everybody. Not since MAC introduced Twiggy lipstick and Spice lip pencil did a product capture the imagination of a nation. Well this one has mine and it should have yours too. Bring out your joie d' vivre, alegria de viver, gioia di vivere or in plain English - Live Your Beauty.

What Was She Wearing?

I love the Academy Awards.  It's a time for fantasizing, speculation and glamour. I enjoy the Red Carpet fanfare, the raw energy of the moment and the delicious triumphs as each winner takes the stage to claim their prize.  It is an evening filled with mystique and allure and every year I excitedly tune in to watch my favorite talent being honored.

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards were held last evening.  And WOW!  What a surprise!  Best Director Kathryn Bigelow - first woman to win an Oscar in that category.  Incredible -  and wasn't she living her beauty well! Excitedly strutting to the stage in her very chic Red Carpet Worthy Gown, Kathryn looked absolutely radiant.  Was it the thrill of creating something truly amazing and being recognized for your achievement or was it Maybellene?  Either way...Congratulations Kathryn and many thanks for being such a trailblazer.  We owe you one!




Sandra Bullock was another surprise win.  Her portrayal of Mrs. Touhy was remarkable.  The movie was definitely an A+, as was Sandra's dress and make-up.  Her gown was vintage Paquin and her face was nothing less than fresh and glamourous.  I loved that classic eye and bold mouth.  And didn't we all love her acceptance speech?  What grace she showed towards her talented peers.  Speaking of...







It wouldn't be The Academy Awards without our lovely and uber talented Ms. Streep. And we know she is talented with an incredible 16 Oscar nominations and two wins.  Year after year she entertains us, amuses us and inspires us to continue to live our dreams.  Her gown was designed by Chris March and she wore it well.
Meryl lives her beauty while keeping with current fashion both in dress and make-up.  Her style was clean and sophisticated and I loved it.

Sarah stunned us with her gorgeous Chanel gown. A style setter for a least a decade now we love how she can show up and be herself.  I admire Sarah for her bold beauty and fearless forging without surgery.
Thank you Sarah for giving us Carrie, Sex In The City and Jimmy Choo.
One day she just may be an icon.







Charlize arrived on the carpet in a whimsical Dior Couture gown much to the chagrin of several style setters. I say bah humbug to them.  I adored the fun and color which showed off her porcelain beauty.  Her makeup was fabulous as well in the classic Hollywood genre.  Thank you Charlize for living your beauty so bravely. .

And Penelope...What a true International Star. Cast among the likes of Sophia Loren and Catherine Deneuve.  Such poise and elegance. The Donna Karan Cotoure gown she chose draped her stunningly. And her choice of neutral makeup completely complemented her look.

Another fabulous show was wrapped and we will gossip and discuss, debate and drool over the fashions, the looks, the nominations, the winners.  We will revel in the diversity and NetFlix the films we have yet to see.  And next year we will tune in to witness these historical moments all over again.

Spring A New Thing?

We are not even out of our winter wardrobe and the buzz on the street is all about Fall Fashion Week 2010.  Can you believe it?  I am just beginning to pull out my yummies for spring 2010.  That said, what is yummy for spring?  Well, not a whole lot.  Hate to say it, but there is not a wink of fresh hitting our favorite cosmetic counters.  I have seen it all before - several times.  Bobbi Brown has new color palettes out that she calls Strips.  They come in 3 color schemes: Blue, Neutral and Violet and remind me of the color palette eyeshadows from Cover Girl that were popular back in the 80s.
MAC, Laura Mercier, Trish McEvoy, NARS, Stila, Shu Uemura, YSL, Georgio Armani, and all the rest, have spring color palettes that are all similar.
Blue and Gold seem to be the go to colors.  All the collections have the standard neutral colors as well as violets and wine.  Blush, bronzers and lips are the colors of 2009.  Is it the recession that is killing R&D? Or just the companies' creativity?
You can, in this tight economy, get by with the stash of make-up you have from the fall or even last spring.  Just check the expiration dates to ensure safe use.

Just when you thought I was going to be a total Negative Nelly there are two products that I am really excited about.

From Chanel - temporary skin art.  So FUN!  I can just see it now... walking along the beach in a cute bathing suit with a darling sheer cover-up with some of this bling peeking out around the ankle, mid-drift or wrist.

From NARS - Easy Lover lipgloss.  Love the vibrant pink!  Probably because I don't already have one.









Certainly stay tuned because I know there are some fabulous new skin care products launching that will make spring fling.