Givenchy Mister Radiant Body

Ok, first off, how can you not love the name of this product? Givenchy Mister Radiant Body ($49) gives you skin that you only thought was possible in magazines.

Suspended in the clear gel are iridescent microbeads in 3 different shades: brown, yellow, and white.  Each colored bead is filled with a skin-beautifying liquid. The yellow beads hold a pearlescent, shimmery liquid to give your skin subtle glimmer. Bronze bubbles are filled with a pigment that naturally tints your skin a light tan color (creating the illusion of–or enhancing–defined and toned legs and arms). The white beads contain vitamin E to nourish your skin. The tiny beads burst when you massage them into your skin, releasing all their goodness and making your body look absolutely fabulous. It’s kind of the perfect complement to summer skin.

Givenchy recommends exfoliating and applying a light moisturizer to your skin before slathering this on. If you start with a freshly-polished canvas, it will glide on even smoother and make you look more radiant.

What techniques or products do you use to get gorgeous summer skin?

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Sunday (May 13) is Mother’s Day. If it slipped your mind, you still have time to dash out and grab a gift. But don’t just pick up any old thing; give Mom something she’ll love. This is the time to remind Mom how beautiful she is inside and out. Wrap one of these beauties up, kiss your mama, and say thank you…cause after all, she’s the reason you’re here. Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!

1. Tory Burch “Brigitte” Small Cosmetic Case ($55)
2. SpaFinder gift card, for a day of pampering at her favorite local spa (check website for spas that accept this giftcard; $your choice!).
3. Clarisonic Mia 2 skin cleansing system ($149)
4. Kate Spade “Mom’s The Word” Daisy Earrings ($58)
5. Coralia Lee Double Chain Mother-Daughter Pendant ($325)
6. Lilly Pulitzer Melamine Serving Tray ($36)
7. A personalized bouquet. Assemble one similar to this by picking up a mug with her first initial on it (2 inexpensive versions at Anthropologie here & here). Trim some fresh-cut flowers (I love peonies), and you’ve got a gorgeous arrangement ready for Mom. (Image via Simply Bloom photography)
8. J.Crew Factory Perfect Printed Scarf in Paris Pink ($29.50)

Laura Mercier Secret Concealer

I have been searching high and low for months for a new concealer. I don’t typically have permanent dark circles under my eyes, but I’d been noticing lately that by the middle of the day, I started to look really tired. It was happening almost every day. In my endless hunt for the perfect concealer, I tried products from MAC, Smashbox, Clinique, Urban Decay, Benefit, Korres, and Maybelline–all in the past 3 months. Not one of them lasted. Everything slipped and/or faded away away after just a few hours of wear.

And then a Sephora sales rep steered me toward Laura Mercier Secret Concealer ($22). The concealer is just the right consistency: creamy, with a tiny bit of firmness. It’s moisturizing, which is essential for the thin skin of the undereye area.

This little pot saved me from dark circles! There’s little I can say about it, other than it works. Once it’s on my skin, it stays put, and the coverage stays true throughout the workday. Finally, I’ve found something that sticks. No more haggard face! And although the pot looks tiny, a little bit of product goes a long way.

I apply this with a concealer brush (MAC 195) for flawless coverage. It gets the concealer right up to my lower lashline, spreads the product evenly around the area eye for full coverage, and blends beautifully so that it looks like I’m not wearing any makeup.

Prior to finding this gem, my go-to products were MAC Pro Longwear Concealer ($17) and Smashbox High Definition Concealer ($20). Although I liked the way they both felt on my skin, they really didn’t last long on me at all. My dark circles started peeking through after a few hours. I can say with confidence that this formula keeps all my complexion imperfections s secret for the entire day. Maybe that’s where they got the name?…

What’s your favorite concealer? I’m always looking for recommendations, so share in the comments!

Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer SPF20

Lately, my skin has been looking horrendous: dull, lifeless, and totally devoid of any sort of glow. Even my Clarisonic Mia 2 can’t bring life back to my complexion these days. So last week, I got a sample of Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer SPF20 ($32) at Sephora, and tossed it into my makeup bag without thinking twice about it. Over the weekend, I dug it out and decided to give it a whirl. INSTANT LOVE.

Although it looks like nothing great in its tiny tube, this tinted moisturizer is all I need to breathe life back into my skin. (If you have normal skin with no serious acne problems, I bet it will have the same effect on you.) There was just enough super subtle shimmer in it to make my whole face glow, while evening out my skin tone and masking imperfections. But this isn’t chunky or even highly-pigmented shimmer; if you’ve ever used MAC Strobe Cream, it contains less shimmer than that (and definitely less than most luminizers). But here’s the beauty of it: it doesn’t look shimmery on the face at all. It just makes my skin look glowy, pretty, and refreshed. I honestly can’t say enough good things about this stuff; this will for sure be a makeup bag staple for me.

There’s more after the jump.

Adara Virgin Coconut Oil

With all the liquid restrictions on international and domestic travel these days, stashing your beauty products is easier said than done. Downsizing is key when traveling (even if you’re just tossing your bags into the trunk for a quick road trip.) Eliminate piles of clanking plastic bottles and streamline your dopp kit with Adara Virgin Coconut Oil ($12). Ditch the body lotion and instead, massage this into your skin. Nix the conditioner and smooth this from scalp to ends for an intense deep conditioning treatment (wrap it under a hot towel for maximum impact). Got flyaways? No need to pack 15 hair products to get sleek strands; smooth this on ends for frizz control. It can also be used as a massage oil to soothe tired, overworked muscles. You can even use this as a base to create your own perfume by mixing a few drops of essential oils into the unscented version. In fact, there’s very little this pure, organic, all-natural oil can’t do; it’s nature’s remedy for nearly every beauty ailment or mishap. And the 2-oz. bottles are approved for air travel. What more could you ask for?

If you want to stay all-natural, there’s an unscented version, but for a hint of fragrance, there’s also heavenly peach, soothing lavender, refreshing green tea, innocent rose, and oriental jasmine.

Let’s Get Glowing

Image by Daria Zaytseva via Pinterest

Right around this time of year is when I start to loathe my very fair skin. It’s pasty from months of little sunshine and being cooped up indoors all winter, my freckles seem magnified because they look darker in contrast to my pale skin, and I’m dying for some sort of a boost. If you’re very fair like me, it may be a little too early for self-tanner and toasty-bronze skin…and even if you’re not fair, it’s safe to assume you could use a boost after months of shorter days. So how do you get a killer complexion that’s radiant and refreshed-looking? Luminizer! It’s the quickest, easiest way to banish leftover winter dullness and mask imperfections.

I’ve compiled a guide to luminizers for you, complete with their pros and cons. While I haven’t purchased all of these, I have tested them repeatedly…and I took notes! I’ve listed each product’s pros and cons to help you pick the highlighter that’s right for you.

Benefit High Beam ($26)
A pearly pink liquid that gives you the best possible version of your skin and tastefully adds shimmer.
Pros: This one is a tried-and-true winner; it makes your skin look flawlessly glowy, and it’s suitable for almost all skin tones.
Cons: …None?
(Image via Sephora)

Make Up For Ever Uplight Luminizer Gel ($29)
A gel formula that glides on skin smoothly and stays put for hours.
Pros: Available in a staggering 8 shades and 3 finishes (dewy, pearly, and sparkling), so you can achieve basically any look you want, from glowy and natural to bronzed and glam, to flushed and rosy-cheeked. Each shade lets your skin show through and blends well (it just melts into your cheeks), thanks to the smooth gel formula. Use it all over.
Cons: Again, this one will be tough…I’m gonna go with none.

NARS Illuminator ($30) in Copacabana (pearly pink), Orgasm (peachy-pink), Super Orgasm (peachy-pink loaded with glitter) & Laguna (light tan)
Pros: Sheer, luminous, and creamy, these are great for putting the spotlight on the high points of your face (cheeks, bridge of nose, brow bones, Cupid’s bow). Easily blendable, and available in 4 shades for different skin tones and effects.
Cons: Inconsistency between the shades. Based on my experience, Copacabana, the lightest shade, barely shows up on skin (with just a hint of shimmer), while the Laguna can appear too dark. Also, different batches of Super Orgasm that I’ve tested seem to have varying glitter content–some to the point where it was too shimmery. Also, a packaging flaw: after repeated use, product collects in a gooey mess under the flipcap.
(Image via Nordstrom)

There’s so much more after the jump!

Fresh & Clean With Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple Set

When I got my Clarisonic Mia 2 for Christmas, included in the box was a sample bottle of Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple facial cleanser ($10-$40). I absolutely love this facewash. It’s gentle, non-irritating, and works really well for my normal skin. Although I remove my eye makeup before loading these suds onto my Clarisonic, I leave the rest of my makeup on, and it’s still no match for this powerful cleanser. I can’t believe how clean and baby-soft it makes my skin, while still going easy on it. No irritation, no redness, no breakouts.

Now, Sephora packaged a full-sized bottle of the wash with a packet of Purity-soaked cleansing cloths in the Purity Made Simple Set ($39). The ready-to-scrub cleansing cloths make this the perfect way to replenish your supply if you’re running low. Toss the wipes into your bag for weekend getaways, or stash them in your boyfriend’s medicine cabinet so you’ll always have them on hand.

Image via Sephora

Kicking Off Your Friday Afternoon…With a Cat

Image via 8tokyo.com
You’re going to pay a pretty penny for Paul & Joe Cat Collection Matte Pressed Face Powder ($42), but it’s so adorable! The powder, shown above in Cinnamon, features 2 shades of matte face powder with a cat’s silhouette embossed into the surface. And the included applicator sponge is in the shape of a paw print. I mean, really! Image via beautyhabit.com
And this compact is just as pretty on the outside, too. That’s it underneath the white cat’s paw! If you’re a fan of kittens (or a crazy cat lady like me), I guarantee you’ll smile every time you pull this gem out of your makeup bag.

Tracking this down is not going to be easy (it’s sold out almost everywhere), but try ASOS & Beautyhabit.com to see if they restock their supply of kitty beauty.

MAC Spring ’12 Skincare: Lightfully

MAC is rolling out a new, upgraded skincare collection, Lightfully, this spring. With redesigned packaging, they’ve pumped up their Lightful skincare line with their “marine bright formula,” which contains 3 seaweeds. The seaweeds protect against some of the biggest agressors against skin: excess melanin (which causes dark spots) and free radicals, which evening out skin tone and giving it a boost of radiance. The products are designed to nourish, rehydrate, deoxidize, and fortify your complexion.

Included in the collection are new products, all of which are permanent: Cleanser, Softening Lotion, Moisture Creme, and Essence/Serum.

Lightful Cleanser ($25)

Lightful Softening Lotion ($30)

Lightful Moisture Creme ($40)

Lightful Essence/Serum ($40)

The collection will available Feb. 23 at all North American MAC locations.

Images via MAC

BB Creams Are All The Rage

By now, you’ve probably heard about BB creams (short for “beauty balm”), the new-to-North-America cosmetic that everyone’s talking about. These facial creams were supposedly developed by scientists in Germany who developed it as a way to soothe skin after laser treatments. But they really took off in Asian countries, where celebrities went so far as to film testimonials praising how great these creams made their skin look and feel.

So what are they?