Vogue Daily has a post up about a new collaboration between (my fave) Essie Nailpolish’s Essie Weingarten and Madison Avenue jeweler Judith Ripka. The three limited edition shades: Queen of Hearts (classic red), Put a Ripka Ring on It (sheer, sparkling pink) and Heart My JR Jewels (deep burgundy) are certainly pretty, but what makes this collaboration so exciting is a little something extra Weingarten and Ripka decided to throw in: “I wanted to make the pie really sweet,” says Weingarten. “Instead of just adding gold and platinum to the polishes, I told them to throw in a diamond!” Hidden away in three out of the 30,000 limited-edition bottles is a one-carat diamond, emerald, or sapphire.

But thinking of all the 5yrs old bottles of nailpolish that reside in my bathroom vanity… how will you ever know if your bottle is one with a golden ticket?

While I may sometimes take secret pleasure in tabloid magazine articles about celebrities without makeup (Stars! They Have Dark Under-Eye Circles Just Like Us!), this was certainly not the case when I stumbled across this editorial in the September Issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

No, there is no comfort to be found in the makeup-less faces of Kristen McMenamy, Nadia Auermann, Shalom Harlow, Amber Valleta, Helena Christensen, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Tatjana Patitz . Not a blemish in site. Instead, all I can think after seeing these images is: “I really need to take care of my skin”. Cindy Crawford is 43 years old! It is my new goal in life to have her skin when I am her age… Oh, who am I kidding- I don’t have her skin in my mid-twenties.

I think it may be time to invest in an age-defying skin moisturizer such as Dermalogica AGE smart Dynamic Skin Recovery plus SPF 30.

Image Source: Models.com

My reasoning for being excited about Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Plantidote Mega-Mushroom Eye Makeup Remover Pads is two-fold. One, I am incredibly lazy when it comes to washing my face before bed, yet hate eye makeup smudges on my pillowcase (oh ya, that whole leaving makeup on before going to bed speeding up the ageing process and clogging pores thing is kinda a drag too). Two, I am a constant eye-rubber, which means by the end of my day, I inevitably have mascara smudges under my eyes. So, these ultra-soft, 100% cotton eye make-up remover pads, which remove all traces of mascara- liner and shadow too should I ever wear them- plus contain a blend of ginger extract, basil, turmeric and chamomile oil to calm, soothe and protect delicate skin, will be a welcome addition to my beauty arsenal. I plan on keeping a pot in my purse for mid-day touch-ups, and one by my bed, for a last minute clean up at the days end.

Often, mascara is the only makeup I manage to get on my face (often while stopped at red lights on my way to work). I’m incredibly lazy when it comes to my makeup, but I feel self conscious and bug-eyed without it. Yet, despite my obsession with mascara, and it’s key role in my beauty routine, I’ve always worn drug store brands, my biggest mascara splurge being on MAC Zoom Lash. Feeling a little bit like mixing it up a little when it comes to my beauty buys, I recently bought myself Chanel’s Inimitable.

Can I tell you? I am obsessed! I’ve even received a compliment on my lashes since starting to use it, I am not even exaggerating. Yes, it is a bit of a splurge for a small tube of black gook that probably uses the same ingredients as the drug store brands, but it has made a believer out of me. Chanel’s little tube of magic is truly Inimitable.

I’ve been seeing more and more beauty site’s doing write-up’s on these new lip balm Smooth Sphere’s from Eos and my curiosity has definitely been piqued. 95% organic and 100% natural, they contain shea butter, jojoba oil, and vitamin E for moisturizers. The Smooth Sphere’s come in three mouth-watering flavors: Honeysuckle Honeydew, Summer Fruit, and Sweet Mint. Natural products and yummer flavors are always a plus for me, but what is so cool about this product- and what sets it apart from the millions of lip products out there- is its cool shape.

A sort-of hybrid between gloss in a pot and a roll-on stick, not only is it totally cute (kind of like a cartoon alien egg), but according to the company he round shape allows more precise application. Which I am pretty sure means less waste and more bang for your buck. I was already pretty sure I needed to get my hands on one of these to try out for myself when I came across this photo on Spolied Pretty:

Um, hello there Chuck Bass. What you got there? A yummy Smooth Sphere in Honeysuckle Honeydew? Yaaa, it’s a tad bit girlie of him… but, I’m sold. What’s good enough for Chuck Bass’ lips is good enough for mine.

Click on the above photo to be taken to an awesome, mesmerizing time lapse video from Bradly Brown. I love the transformation not only of the models face but also the evolution of her energy level. She goes from sleepy eyed and coffee downing to bright-eyed and vamping it up for the camera in seconds. If only my mornings were so easy… and came with my own hair and make-up team.

I guarantee you will want to add a bright yellow-gold shadow to your makeup bag after watching this… Love the name of this shade from Tarte- Mrs. Robinson.

Source: Bradly Brown via NotCouture

The makeup at the 3.1 Phillip Lim spring show was inspired by the famous Steve McCurry “Afghan Girl” National Geographic portrait. Using the then unreleased matte garnet NARS eyeshadow Grenadines, makeup artist Ayako encircled the the to give it depth and then blended black and blue eyeliner on the top and bottom lashes. While red certainly doesn’t sound like a very flattering shade to put on your lids- and adding black and blue to the mix sounds even worse- it surprisingly looks pretty cool. It manages to be dramatic and modern and at the same time almost looks natural and just a little dirty.

I think this is a look I definitely want to try. I’m thinking I need a bit more of a tan to pull it off and I’ll keep it simple with smokey ring around the eye and some black eyeshadow.

Grenadines, the NARS shadow used on the 3.1 Phillip Lim runway is now available to us common-folk, so there is no need to search high and low for the perfect similar color. Woohoo.

Image Source: Style.com

I tend to lose small beauty products such as nail clippers, tweezers, cuticle cutters and the like. Because I can’t live without my tweezers, I actually have two pairs- if one is missing the other is bound to be around somewhere. Lately I’ve been keeping one in the car for last minute, on the way to work, plucks. Don’t worry, I only pluck at red lights… Both of my tweezers are Tweezerman, because the brand has the absolute best pluckers out there. No pulling frantically on hairs that just won’t come out because you can’t get a good grip- there is no time for such shenanigans when stopped at a red light in Los Angeles during the morning commute. Tweezerman is tempting me with my third tweezer purchase, with their Go Green Mini Slant tweezer. With every purchase of the limited-edition tweezers- which come in packaging made from 100% recycled paper and printed with natural soy ink- $1 is donated to the National Arbor Day Foundation and a new tree is planted. Shopping for a good cause- whether it’s groomed eyebrows or taking care of Mother Earth- is the best:

Arbor Day is April 24th, learn more here.

Mary-Kate Olsen has been wearing a peachy take on the smoky eye and I am totally into it. The color is a springtime twist on the perennial favorite, which is normally seen in shades of black, grey, brown and sometimes plum. The peach provides a nice twist, and is surprisingly versatile. In the below photos, the smokey peach eye works equally well with a pale face and red lips or a bronze face and pale lip. Not one to pile on the makeup, I like how this look is striking yet subtle. I always feel like a bit of a raccoon when I attempt a smoky eye in black tones.

This palette from Estee Lauder not only has a great peach color but also some pretty shimmery browns for contouring and using as a liner.

Image Source: Olsen-Files

A couple weeks ago I took my dog on a hike and then went to grab a bagel and in between these two activities managed to find myself both at a magazine stand and a beauty supply store, where of course I didn’t need anything, but ended up with a ton of goodies anyways. One purchase I walked away with was Rachel Perry’s Lip Lover lip balm in banana-coconut, which I was so excited to find! My mom used to buy me this lip balm when I was a little girl, and seeing the little art nouveau illustrated pots made me instantly nostalogic for the days of dress-up (not that those ever really went away…). Of course, being the little consumer that I am, I can’t stop thinking about the other flavors, and how I need to have them right now! Besides the banana-coconut, the yummy little balms come in raspberry-cherry, grape juice, cantaloupe, chocolate bliss, mint tingle and very vanilla.

Well, well, well, seems the gift pack just happens to exclude the flavor I already own. I think it must be a sign…