Here’s what they say:

“For fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, black is THE color. And as a make-up artist, lips are THE focus. YSL GLOSS PUR Black unites these two facets of his art in a superb Limited Edition.

From plum to ebony, it dresses lips in an infinite range of shades, depending on how it is applied – feather light or rich and bold. Transparent yet intense, it plays on the depths of black and the pure shine of a sparkle-free formula.”

It retails at $28 and you can preorder it at YSLBeautyUS.com, and will be shipped on September 19th (my birthday!! :))

Image: YSLBeautyUS.com

I wish I found this out earlier - the other day I got bored of my damaged hair (thanks to backcombing all the time!) that I went to the kitchen, opened a bottle of olive oil and dumped it on my head! If only I had known…sigh.

Here are Antonio’s tips:

For oily hair:

Boil two tablespoons of mint in 1 1/5 glass of water for 20 minutes. Strain the mixture and mix it with your regular shampoo. Using the mint mixture on alternative days absorbs the excess oil in your hair.

For dry and damaged hair:

Apply a paste of egg yolk and water. Leave it in for 10-15 minutes and rinse off with cold water.

For frizzy hair:

To tame uncontrollable frizz, try rubbing coconut oil into your hands and apply sparingly into your hair.

For build-up in your hair:

Massage a small amount of olive oil into your roots of dry hair before shampooing. Olive oil is also great for helping coarse hair. Apply from the mid-lengths to the ends of your hair for great control and moisture!

For dull and boring hair:

Rinse your hair with lemon juice to bring life and shine back into your hair.

However, it is not recommended for color-treated hair, so use a cold water rinse after shampooing to contract the hair cuticles for a great shine!

A tip for all: A healthy diet consisting of vegetables, fruits, buts, grains and plenty of water is the best way to achieve healthy hair! Remember you are replenishing from inside out!

 Images: Amazon.com, Crateandbarrel.com, j-tips.com, boygenuisreport.com, pbase.com

Bring out your inner Goth this November! Black lipstick has been all over the fall runways and magazine editorials, making it the new must-have trend for fall. However, apart from Halloween, it’s pretty hard to pull off in real life.

Lancôme has taken a chance and will release a limited 500 sets of Color Fever Gloss in Piha Black, a sheer black colored lip gloss. They will also release Color Fever Lipstick in Piha Red, inspired by the redness of a Christian Louboutin shoe.

This lip set is created by Aaron de May, Lancôme’s new artistic director for makeup.

If black lip gloss sounds too scary, you can see in the picture that it’s not jet black, but it does look quite vampy! Aaron uses the black as an eye gloss too, so that’s an idea!

The set is priced at $48, and will be sold at Lancôme’s online store, and in the US, Bloomingdale’s 59th Street location and its five Lancôme boutiques.

The waiting list is already at Bloomingdale’s has just opened! You can call 212-705-2886 to add your names to the list.

If and when I get “real life” pictures of the product, I’ll definitely put them up!

Images: Lancome

Estée Lauder’s TurboLash All Effects Motion Mascara is yet another battery operated mascara which vibrates gently through lashes.

An innovation in design and engineering, the mascara is said to create “maximum volume, length, curl and separation” – all at once!
TO USE:

1. Twist mascara cap at middle to open. The motor will automatically turn on.
2. Use care in applying mascara. Slowly pull brush up through lashes, starting at root.
3. Repeat for even more drama.
4. To close, twist cap tightly until motor shuts off. (Important: Always turn off motor to preserve battery life. When the battery runs down, it’s time to get a new mascara.)

I honestly can imagine this whole vibrating-brush fad actually working, but we shall see!

Image: EsteeLauder.com

“See a shoe and Pick it up and all day long you’ll have Good Luck.”

So said Andy Warhol half a century ago, when he first got noticed as a shoe illustrator ensconced on Lexington Avenue.
Now for the artist’s 80th birthday, Bond No. 9 returns to Warhol’s origins and celebrates the mutual sensuality of shoes and eau de parfum.

I am in love with that quote! To celebrate Andy Warhol’s 80th birthday, Bond No. 9 has created it’s third Warhol inspired fragrance, Lexington Avenue. (I also reviewed the second one, Andy Warhol Union Square). And let me tell you this bottle is FANTASTIC! I think it’s my favorite Bond No. 9 bottle so far! :)

But why the shoe connection?

Back in 1955, Warhol published a little book, A La Recherché du Shoe Perdu, (my broken French tells me that means, The Search of the Lost Shoe?) filled with his illustrations of shoes. He did this to make ends meet, whilst being camped out in his furniture-less apartment in 242 Lexington Avenue.

Along came I. Miller, the legendary shoe establishment, which chose Warhol to update its image with illustrations for ads that would appear on a regular basis in the New York Times and the Herald Tribune.

Says Michael Hermann, Director of Licensing at The Andy Warhol Foundation, “Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue celebrates the fashionable, sophisticated, and successful women of New York City through the whimsical lens of Andy Warhol and his artwork.”

Not only is the message (and that bottle!) very special, but so are the notes – the very top note is Blue Cypress, which is rare to have a wood as a top note. Other tops notes include Fennel, cardamom (curry spice) and Roasted Almonds. Middle notes include Pink peony, crème brulee, pimento berry, with patchouli and sandalwood as base notes.

I wore this fragrance out and I could stop sniffing my wrist. There is something so different about this scent. It smells fashionable, and the scent is quite spicy. It is described as a “seductive and intoxicating autumn-winter scent” and I could not agree more (those writers always best describe the fragrance better!). I can definitely imagine this in the Winter months and this is an extremely sexy scent. To be honest I don’t think I’ve ever tried out a “spicy” scent, but I like it a lot! A big difference from all the floral fruity scents around, and I am torn… this or Union Square?!!?!

I am loving this Andy Warhol collection and hope there are more to come!

Images: BondNo9.com

I just had to write about this collection because look at that picture! I don’t even know what raspberry butter cream frosting is, but it is the bases behind Jaqua’s Beauty delicious new releases, Raspberry Buttercream Frosting Collection, and it looks absolutely delicious!

“A luxurious marriage of juicy raspberry and sweet cream, formulated to nourish and indulge from head to toe. The Raspberry Buttercream Frosting Collection is a light, fruity scent bursting with the sweetness of ripe raspberry and Jaqua’s signature frosting fragrance.”

The collection includes:

• Lip Gloss Ring – This tasty accessory gives you a kiss of color and a sweet taste of raspberry buttercream frosting flavor anytime, anywhere.
• Lip Whip – Satisfy your sweet tooth without a single calorie. This delicious, nourishing lip gloss is formulated with vitamins A, E, and C to keep lips soft and kissable.
• Hand Crème – This luxurious hand crème is packed with the ripe, rich essence of raspberry. Treat your hands to the nourishing indulgence of meadowfoam seed oil, fruit extracts and vitamins A and E—luscious hydrators designed to keep hands soft and pampered all day long.
• Sinfully Rich Body Butter – This indulgent, nourishing formula blends serious skincare with a rich raspberry fragrance. Formulated with cocoa butter and natural extracts, the whipped body butter lavishes skin.
• Shower Crème – This rich and creamy shower wash is filled with good-for-your-skin ingredients like fruit and aloe extracts, macadamia and evening primrose oils, and vitamins B5, A and E. Indulge your skin in fresh raspberry scent and turn your shower into paradise.

Don’t know about you, but I am lusting over the body butter! :)

And I really like it!

Like it’s description, it really is a “sensual fragrance that is feminine, versatile and memorable.” It is extremly feminine, and like its name, the scent does smell very ‘”fancy.”

It is a fruity floral, though I would say it’s more fruity as it’s very sweet-candy smelling. At the same time, I can definitely sell a warmth that is caramel.

One of the better celebrity fragrances out, for sure!

The winners were chosen on a problem-solution bases, where readers wrote in their biggest beauty problems, and the experts chose the categories and winners accordingly:

BEST IN FACIAL SKIN CARE

• UNDER–EYE CIRCLE TREATMENT: Topix Replenix Intensive Eye Lightening Serum
• DAILY SUNSCREEN: LaRoche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ (This has won SO many awards and is recommended by tons of dermatologists, I’m gonna buy this next!)
• CLEANSER: Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
• BEST NEW PRODUCT: RevaléSkin Night Cream
• ACNE TREATMENT: Rodan & Fields Proactiv Solution 3-Step System
• SENSITIVE-SKIN MOISTURIZER: Aveeno Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer SPF 15
• PUFFY-EYE TREATMENT: Patricia Wexler M.D. Dermatology Fastcription Instant De-Puff Eye Gel
• BLACKHEAD TREATMENT: Neutrogena Rapid Clear Pads
• OILY-SKIN MOISTURIZER: SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel
• WRINKLE PREVENTER: RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream

BEST IN BODY SKIN CARE

• LIP BALM: Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm
• INTENSE MOISTURIZER: Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair Lotion
• RAZOR: Venus Breeze & Schick Intuition Plus Sensitive Care
• NONGREASY SUNSCREEN: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 45
• DAILY MOISTURIZER: Olay Ultra Moisture In-Shower Body Lotion
• DEPILATORY: Veet Hair Removal Gel Cream
• SPORTS-FRIENDLY SUNSCREEN: Coppertone Sport Continuous Spray SPF 50
• FOOT CREAM: Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Cracked Heel Moisturizing Treatment
• HAND CREAM: Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield Hand Cream SPF 30 (I would call this one of the best, not THE best - there are clearly others that I feel are much better, but this is great because of its SPF and it’s also extremly afforable.)

BEST IN HAIR CARE

• VOLUMIZER: Phyto Phytovolume Actif Volumizer Spray
• CURL ENHANCER: KMS Curlup Control Crème
• SHINE ENHANCER: Kérastase Vernis Nutri-Sculpt Ultra-Shine Top Coat
• BRUSHABLE HAIR SPRAY: Bumble & Bumble Classic
• HAIR STRENGTHENER: Tresemmé Anti-Breakage Shampoo and Conditioner
• CLARIFYING SHAMPOO: Aveda Hair Detoxifier
• REPAIRING TREATMENT: L’Oréal Professional Absolut Repair Mask
• STRAIGHTENING BALM: Kérastase Serum Oléo-Relax & Kiehl’s Heat-Protective Silk Straightening Cream
• VOLUMIZING SHAMPOO: Kérastase Resistance Bain Volumactive Shampoo
• FRIZZ FIGHTER: Phyto Phytodéfrisant Botanical Hair Relaxing Balm
• DANDRUFF TREATMENT: Head & Shoulders Dry Scalp Care Shampoo
• DRY HAIR SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER: Shu Uemura Moisture Velvet Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner

BEST IN MAKEUP

• LONG-LASTING NAIL POLISH: Zoya Professionals
• LONG-WEARING EYELINER: MAC LiquidLast Liner (I agree that this is the best long-wear eyeliner, however it’s a liquid liner, wish they’d include a pencil one! You can read my review on this here.)
• LUMINIZER: Prescriptives Magic Illuminating Liquid Potion
• BROW POWDER: Laura Mercier Brow Powder Duo
• CONCEALER: Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Concealer & Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage
• LONG-WEARING LIP COLOR: L’Oréal Paris Infallible Never Fail Lipcolour Compact
• SELF-TANNER: Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanning
• CHIP-RESISTANT BASE COAT: OPI ChipSkip
• NAIL STRENGTHENER: Nailtiques Nail Protein Formula 2 Treatment
• CUTICLE TREATMENT: Creative Nail Design SolarOil
• LONG-WEARING EYE SHADOW: Dior Eye Show Ultra Shimmering Waterproof Eyeshadow
• CHEEK COLOR: Benefit Benetint
• DO-IT-ALL MASCARA: Lancôme L’Extrême
• THICKENING MASCARA: DiorShow (Agreed! I did a review on their Diorshow Blackout Mascara here.)
• LENGTHENING MASCARA: L’Oréal Paris Lash Out
• SENSITIVE-SKIN FOUNDATION: Almay Pure Blends Mineral Makeup & Physician’s Formula Mineral Wear Foundation
• NONSTICKY LIP GLOSS: Shiseido The Makeup Lip Gloss
• DRY-SKIN FOUNDATION: La Mer The Treatment Crème Foundation SPF 15
• MILD MAKEUP REMOVER: Lancôme Effacil Gentle Eye Makeup Remover & Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover
• BELIEVABLE BRONZER: Guerlain Terracotta Spray Bronzing Powder Mist
• OILY-SKIN FOUNDATION: Prescriptives Virtually Fresh Skin Refining Makeup SPF 15

Obviously I’m aware that the magazine may include some prticular brands rather than others because of their advertisers, but I’ve highlighted the winners that I agree with in bold - I haven’t tried most of these products, so I can’t comment on those I don’t know!

Do you agree with these winners?

Image: WomensHealthMag.com

1. “You need lather to know it’s really working.”
   You’d think the more foam your shampoo produces, the cleaner the hair, right? I always used to think that! Actually, it just means there is a lot of detergent ingredients, and also when the surfactant molecules in the shampoo mix with air, it creates tons of bubbles. A small coin size of shampoo is all you really need to clean that hair and scalp.
2. “You should use a clarifying formula to get rid of buildup.”
   If you’re using heavy-duty styling products, like sprays, mousse, or gel, regular shampooing could not really get rid of all that junk in your hair. If you do need a clarifying shampoo, don’t use it more than once a week, because these are very detergent heavy and can damage hair cuticles.
3. “Washing every day can dry out your hair.”
   Safe and healthy! Whatever hair type you have, just stay away from harsh formulas that strip hair of its natural oils, and shampooing everyday will be fine.
4. “Your hair gets used to your shampoo eventually. That’s why you need to switch to a new brand every once in awhile.”
   I’ve heard this from my mother when I was little. I kinda believe it, but science says that hair is dead, so it can’t tell the difference between L’Oreal and your $100 shampoo. This one is all in your head!
5. “Conditioners don’t work because you just rinse them out.”
   When applied right after shampooing, the conditioner should quickly deposit it’s moisturizing ingredients that stay on after it’s washed out. Of course, it should be a good conditioner!

I read ages ago that there were rumors that Pantene conditioners were terrible because they cause lots of buildup and makes your hair flat. Apparently a competitive started that rumor…. How evil!

And there we have it! Know anymore myths that need to be sorted out?! :P

Image: Style.com

As much as I am devoted to my favorite mascaras, sometimes I get restless and want to try something new! I’m sure every beauty addict is the same!

The much talked about, The Lash Stash from Sephora allows you to sample seven must have mascaras until you find the perfect one (for the month, until you get the urge to spend again!)

The set includes travel sized mascaras from:

• Benefit A Little Bit BADgal Lash in Black
• Blinc Kiss Me Mascara in Black
• LORAC Publicity Stunt Lashes in Black
• Smashbox Bionic Mascara in Black
• Stila Multi-Effect Mascara in Black
• Sephora Brand Lash Plumper in Black
• Too Faced Lash Injection in Black

Truly for mascara fans!

Image: Sephora.com

Now that Gucci Westman is part of Revlon, there are tons of new releases from Revlon. One would be the new Concealer & Highlighter, a mini compact that contains a concealer and hightligher to not only cover your imperfections, but to highlight your best features.

“Concealer’s soft, creamy formula seamlessly covers undereye circles, dark spots and blemishes.

Highlighter contains ultra refined pearls to add a touch of subtle radiance to areas of the face you would like to accentuate, such as cheekbones, inner corners of eyes, and brows.”

Comes in 4 colors, Light, Light-Medium, Medium, Medium-Dark.

Concealer & Highlight is part of Revlon’s Beyond Natural collection, eight products that work to conceal and spotlight your best features.

I’m pretty impressed by Revlon’s latest releases!

Images: Revlon.com

What a surprise when I saw they actually sold this here! I couldn’t help eyeing the mini brush sets they offered. I caved in and bought the 5 Advanced Brush Set, not because I’m advanced in any makeup application technique (far from it!) but the soft black/white powder brush was too beautiful to pass up, and I really wanted an eyeliner brush that the set included as well.

This is the first brush set I’ve ever bought, and was the first time I’ve tried MAC brushes (I know! What a sin!). I have no idea on brush names, but the set includes the 187 SE, 168 SE, 275 SE, 219 SE and 212 SE brushes. They definitely live up to their good reputation; I’m very happy with this set. Each brush is ridiculously soft, and application is light and very smooth. Especially that powder brush! I am in love with its softness!

Overall, I’m very happy with this. It very quite affordable as well, 5 brushes for $105 – a great investment.

Image: Shop.Nordstrom.com