Eucalyptus Love

A big thank you to the folks over at Maris Natural for sending me a lovely jar of their Eucalyptus Body Scrub as well as the Fleurs variety. Maris is a natural skin care line that only uses organic shea butter and unadulturated essential oils in their products.
Sadly, the bottle of Eucalyptus body scrub leaked inside the cardboard box that traveled from San Francisco. However, it did leave the package room of my building smelling like a spa. My doorman commented, "Somebody sent you something girly. I've been smelling it all day trying to figure out what it is!"

I went upstairs and sampled the product right away. It was very nice! The fragrance is earthy and a bit strong, but the scrub is not greasy and very gentle. This product uses clay rather than sugars or salts, which felt very soft and cool on the skin.

Next I tried the Fleurs body scrub. It was right after I had a Korean style scrub down, so my skin was raw and ready to soak up some moisture. I have to say that I liked the Eucalyptus scrub better than Fleurs in terms of fragrance, as the scent was much too strong for me. I tend to love floral that is light and airy, and this one was a little on the heavy side.

Overall, I enjoyed the Maris body scrubs very much. They do not moisturize the skin as heavily as some of the other body scrubs, which might make them ideal for warmer months. The company offers a full like of cleansers, soaps, exfoliating products and moisturizers that are gentle on the skin and all natural. Plus, the products are very reasonably priced. Their Bergamot Vanilla line is next on my list!

Beating Winter Skin Blues...

My magnifying mirror hates me. Or maybe I am starting to age. I'm at the point where fine lines are becoming more visible, and I am making an effort to not move my face. My skin is starting to dry out at the first hint of cold weather, and I feel like it's starting to lose some luster!

I was recently reminded that dehydration lines lead to fine lines, which lead to full on wrinkles! And I can't have that! So I turned to Kate Somerville's Deep Tissue Repair Cream with Peptide K8 ($150), a deliciously rich (and light) cream that I've fallen in love with. I love it so much I almost want to eat it.

My skin tends to get a little oily during the day, so I've really only been using it as a night cream before bed. I see best results when I use it immediately following Amore Pacific's Treatment Enzyme Peel. A little goes a long way, ladies. What I love most about this product is how well it is absorbed by my skin, and the velvety smooth finish it leaves. There is no greasy feeling, but softness and hydration.

It also smells like orange sherbert. Maybe that's why I want to eat it...

They are like presents on your feet!

For the last few months, I've been obsessed with big bow shoes. Not only are they like wearing small gifts of gorg on your feet, but I am a firm believer that they make your legs look longer and tres sexy. I recently bought a pair of Stuart Weitzman Backpage Platform Heels, and then my obsession started.

Stuart Weitzman, Backpage Platform Heels, $365
Here are a few other favorites.

Christian Louboutin Lady Page Velvet Bow Pump, $995
(Doesn't this shoe make you want to cry?)
Valentino Bow Couture Pump, $725
Valentino Flat Bow Pump, $695

SSC: Short Shameful Confession II

It's about time I posted another one of these.

Here it is:

I'm kind of excited about the second Sex and the City movie.

Don't judge.

And we're ready for blast off!

Two of my besties have worked with a makeup artist out of Mario Tricoci salon in Chicago on their wedding days. I have to say that when I saw her arsenal of products laid out on a large dining room table, my jaw dropped and my eyes popped out of my head (or something like that). Not only is she armed with the best products out there, she is very talented and made my gorgeous beauties even more radiant on their special days.

When it was my turn to glamify, she pulled out a tube of Cover Girl's new Lash Blast mascara. I looked at the bright orange tube and asked... WHAT IS THAT??

I have nothing against drug store brands, but honestly prefer L'Oreal's Voluminous Mascara, thanks to my girl, Miss B.

She got my attention.

The brush is fat and short, and the bristles were very flexible. I had fake lashes on at the time, so they would look great regardless of what I put on them.

So I went out a few days later and bought my own tube... incognito style at CVS of course.

The results....

• It takes a few layers, but my lashes are long, plump and gorgeous.
• The brush is easy to work with.
• It's waterproof, so no racoon eyes here.
• No clumping and no spider lashes!
  

I would not say I prefer it over Lancome's Definicils or Chanel's Inimitable Multi-Dimensional Mascara, but for an inexpensive option, it's definitely worth a try.

Just a note about this mascara. Do NOT buy the waterproof version. It did not budge when I tried to wash it off. It also survived through a Bikram Yoga class. It finally came off when I scrubbed my eyes with Lancome's Bifacil Eye Makeup Remover!

You have been warned.

I'm back! And my skin has never looked better!

So after a long and very rough summer, fall is here, and I'm back to blogging.

A few new and exciting things:

• One of my nearest and dearest girlfriends, Cathy got married to Al. Congrats, gorgeous girl!
• I started Bikram Yoga to strengthen my spine muscles and achieve more inner balance. Not only has it relieved my back pain, but my skin is glowing and I feel amazing.
  
• I moved. And I have a big closet.
  
• I'm three days into Latisse, and am excited and anxious to see results.

I will be blogging much more now that it is freezing in Chicago! I've discovered some great new products that brighten, lengthen, sparkle and glow...so stay tuned :)

Fleur En Passant

During my brief hiatus, I had a chance to visit the new Barney's New York on Oak Street. The new store is gorgeous, and definitely an upgrade from the previous location. I love it. However, the beauty department on the lower level is smaller than before. Sad. It was also a gorgeous Sunday afternoon and empty. Double sad.

I was there initially for Barney's huge blowout shoe sale, but unfortunately did not find anything in my size. So I was in this gorgeous store without a mission. This is trouble. Without a shopping mission, I am easily distracted and can buy everything with very little convincing!

So I went downstairs and visited with Bradley, who know everything about Shu Uemura and is a cosmetic genius (go see him!). He introduced me to my new favorite fragrance, Frederic Malle's En Passant.

I was turned off at first. I really love having beautiful, delicate and feminine perfume bottles, and this bottle isn't any of those. Frederic Malle frangrances also tend to be on the heavier side, with lots of spices and musk. Usually not my cup of tea!

Then I tried the En Passant. The best way to describe it is: Pretty. It is light and watery, with notes of white lilac, cucumber water and citrus. My family had a lilac tree while I was growing up in our yard, and it took me right back to my childhood!

En Passant is an ideal fragrance for Spring, Summer and Fall. It reminds me of warm and breezy weekends in the garden, and definitely makes you feel girly.